The New Girl
by ytsgrl
Summary: When the population of Tree Hill is confronted with The New Girl in town, nothing will ever be the same.
1. Introduction: The Past and the Present

**A/N: So originally I wrote this story, and even posted like 20 chapters of it on here and I loved it. I love the original characters I've created. They're a piece of my heart, not just part of a story. However, I went back and I read the original story I wrote, and somehow was disappointed in myself. I knew that I could have done better. There were a lot of storylines that I dropped simply because it was easier to do it that way. There were mistakes and overall I felt that the story was written in a very juvenille manner. So I decided to re-write it. For those of you who read the story the first time around, you might be a little confused at first. If this is your first time though, I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is greatly appreciated as it will probably lead to changes in how I perceive everything. I would also love to have a beta so if anyone is interested, please e-mail me at Read on. **

**Introduction**

_**The Past and the Present **_

Savannah Carter sat on her bed watching her room disappear around her. The fluffy red pillow she clung to was her only lifeline as the movers took box after box of her belongings from the room. The walls were bare. The dresser was now empty. In fact, the pillow she held was the only decoration left on the bed. She was being forced to move and she wanted to hold on to this moment for as long as she could.

"Ms. Carter, we're gonna have to take the pillow. Your father told us not to leave a single thing…"

"I know." Savannah closed her crystal blue eyes letting a solitary tear fall down her cheek as she handed the pillow over.

With everything but the furniture gone, Savannah looked around the room and made herself stop crying. It wasn't worth it, she told herself. This was just a room. A room she should be glad to get rid of. There were too many bad memories here.

In her mind she saw them. All the memories flashed before her eyes; studying with Jackson, kissing Jackson, holding Jackson, making love to Jackson… watching Jackson make love to Chenille on her bed.

She jumped off the bed and glared at it as if the bed could be held at fault for everything that was going on around her. They each held their ground, Savannah and the bed, facing off until Savannah could handle it no longer. She turned and fled from the room, down the stairs and to her car, pausing only to grab her purse and jacket from the front hallway. She jumped into her silver Lexus and pulled away from the house not a moment too soon. She had a 4,000 mile trip ahead of her and as one more wave of memories flooded her mind she sped up and pulled onto the freeway.

She couldn't get away fast enough.

A few hours later, pulling out of Los Angeles and heading out onto the open road towards North Carolina, she realized that hours alone on the road left her with only one thing to do; think. Her thoughts turned again to her ex-boyfriend, Jackson, and she saw once again the image she had tried to erase from her memory to no avail. Chenille who had once been one of her best friends lying on her satin sheets looking up at Jackson who was thrusting in and out of her, moaning with pleasure. Savannah wasn't sure how long she had stood there, watching them in horror, but when they finally realized that she was there, it was too late. The damage had been done.

They had tried to apologize of course with the usual excuses; it just happened, we didn't mean to hurt you, we're sorry that it happened this way. Savannah didn't believe a word they said and she made it clear she considered both of them traitors and no longer her friends. Maybe that was the reason that Chenille had hated her so much from then on out then. Maybe it was because Savannah had given her the brush off so easily. Then again it could have been because she realized that Jackson didn't really love her, but instead still loved Savannah. It could have been for any number of reasons, including the fact that her mistake had cost her a friendship and gotten her pregnant. Savannah couldn't help but think that her ex-boyfriend and ex-friend had gotten what was coming to them for the hurt they had caused her. Their parents had forced them to get married. Jackson dropped out of school to get a job and take care of Chenille, unraveling his dreams of playing basketball professionally.

With every punishment Chenille received though, her hatred for Savannah grew. Eventually she had decided to get revenge because in her twisted mind she blamed Savannah for everything, even though she had brought all of it on herself.

The marijuana was found in Savannah's locker after an anonymous tip had informed the principal's office of illegal drug presence in the school. They questioned Savannah for hours about it, but Savannah insisted that the drugs were not hers. She would never use drugs. She was a student athlete with potential. Why would she risk everything to get high? No one could answer her questions and no one got answers to theirs. Finding the drugs in her locker was evidence enough and they immediately kicked her off the girls basketball team, banning her from playing high school basketball ever again. She would have been kicked out of school too, but after her drug test came back negative for any illegal substances, they told her she could stay in school until the end of the year. She would then have to find somewhere else to go. Beverly Hills Preparatory School would no longer allow her to attend.

She knew that Chenille had been the one to plant the drugs even before confronting her. The girl was 5 months pregnant and surprisingly still attending classes but Savannah cornered her and although she was never able to get a direct answer, the smile on Chenille's face when Savannah told her she'd been kicked off the basketball team and banned from returning to BHPS told her all she needed to know. The plan for revenge succeeded and Savannah, in the end, was once again the one being hurt.

Her parents, who were usually MIA in her life, had returned from wherever they had been previously when they found out about all the things that had happened. They however did not see Savannah's side of things, and saw only that she had been kicked off the team and kicked out of the most prestigious private school in Beverly Hills. She was to be sent to live somewhere else, and they would decide where at a more opportune time.

The decision came the day after classes ended. Savannah, her best friend since 3rd grade Camille, and the basketball team that had stood behind her throughout the whole ordeal had organized an end of the year barbecue at Savannah's house. They were swimming and having a good time when her parents had appeared, kicking everyone out of the house immediately. Savannah protested, of course, but they told her they had made up their minds and everyone needed to leave. They were going to tell her where she would be living from now on.

Savannah and Camille had discussed it previously. They figured she'd be sent to New York, where their fathers owned a joint plastic surgery practice, and her father would be able to keep an eye on her from there. This outcome she really didn't mind. Despite the fact that her father wasn't usually around, she loved her dad. She didn't mind being around her dad. She didn't think they'd ever come up with the solution they had though.

Deacon and Veronica Carter sat Savannah down that day and looked her straight in the eyes. North Carolina, they said simply. A small town on the coast where she wouldn't be able to get in much trouble. They had already bought the house and arranged for her to start school at the public school there in the fall. She'd leave within a week and drive, a moving van following her with her belongings in it. Tree Hill was a nice town, they said, they had visited before making their decision. And then they were both gone again and she was forced to pack up her life, and move it across the country.

She arrived in Tree Hill, North Carolina with the moving truck behind her, engrossed in her thoughts. The life she had lived for the past 17 years was over. Her fancy private school, rich friends, beloved basketball team… they were all left behind. Here she would have to start over and as she looked around she was flooded with a sense of panic. She had no idea where to start.


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Tree Hill

**Chapter One**

_**Welcome to Tree Hill**_

**Savannah POV**

The house was nice at least. I could say that much for my parents choice. The place was beautiful. I had stepped into a large foyer when I entered. To my right were the stairs leading me up into a wide hallway. There were five bedrooms upstairs; two small, two medium, one large.

The large bedroom, which I assumed was the master suite, was connected to a balcony overlooking the backyard which had come equipped with swimming pool and built-in hot tub. The master bathroom could have been a bedroom all on it's own. One full wall was covered in mirrors the sink resting just in front of it on a marble countertop. The shower was encased in glass, all four walls, and was positioned across from the glass wall, next to a Jacuzzi tub. The toilet was in a smaller room off to the side.

Back in the bedroom, I found the walk-in closet complete with built in shelves and a cabinet which I decided immediately to use for my shoes. The bedroom itself would serve perfectly to showcase the artwork I had brought from California with me with built-in spotlight lamps on every wall.

When I was back downstairs I wandered into the living room which had high ceilings and a fireplace that took up a whole wall. Looking out into the front yard there was a window seat which would be nice once I had provided pillows for it. Off of the living room was a dining room where I could put a table and chairs to entertain… not that I did that kind of entertaining. I'd probably be better off putting a pool table there.

The kitchen was connected to the dining room by a simple doorway but once inside it opened up into a very well lit, large kitchen. All of the cabinets looked to be made of solid pine and one tap on the countertops confirmed they were solid granite. In the kitchen island was a flat range stove surrounded by countertop. If I wasn't gonna get an actual dining room table, I could at least place stools in here and use this for seating.

There were a couple rooms downstairs, clearly not meant to be bedrooms but instead maybe an office or trophy room. I really had no use for an office and now that my basketball career was over, a trophy room was the last thing I wanted, but I would find a use for the rooms I'm sure.

After looking around and directing the movers to place all my things in the master suite, I decided I should go for a ride. I had seen my new house and I knew that I needed to buy furniture but I wasn't really sure where to find that, so I would have to drive around and get acquainted with my new surroundings.

The first thing I noticed was how small the town really was. There was my neighborhood which was clearly divided from the not so nice, but still not shabby area of town. There was no ghetto like there was in Los Angeles. Just the very nice and not so nice part. Everything else was small businesses and beautiful scenery. The high school was located in what they called downtown Tree Hill. This area of the town was about a five block radius which all looked very historic and old. From what I could tell, that was pretty much the whole town.

I didn't see any furniture stores between my house and downtown so, feeling defeated, I found a small café and decided to stop and get some coffee. Maybe someone who worked there could tell me where to go to find furniture for the house.

I walked into Karen's Café and immediately felt like all eyes were on me. I wasn't sure why. Either I looked like an outsider which I definitely was or this town was so small that they were all interested in who this person they had never seen before was. Of course, it could have been a combination of the two.

"Hey sweetie, can I get something for you?" The woman behind the counter asked me as I approached.

She looked like she was nice. She had blonde hair that was cut fairly short, framing her face. She was wearing an apron over her clothes but underneath it looked like she was dressed pretty nicely. Her smile was warm and I decided that she would be a good person to ask for directions.

"I'll have a vanilla latte, no whipped cream."

I sat down at the counter and opened my purse to retrieve some money to pay for my order.

"This your first time here?" The lady asked me as I rifled through my bag, looking for my wallet.

"Yeah." I replied without looking up.

"Then it's on the house. Don't worry about finding money."

I looked up at her and she smiled widely at me before turning to get my drink.

This kind of hospitality was so hard to find in Beverly Hills and I was so surprised that I had to consciously tell myself to quit staring at her like she was an alien.

"Thank you." I said to her when she handed me my drink.

"No problem. You new to town?"

"Uh… yeah." I nodded and took a sip of what turned out to be the best latte I had ever had, "Just got here about an hour ago actually."

"We don't really get a lot of new families moving into town very often. Where are you from?"

"Beverly Hills, California." I nodded and sighed, "But it's not my family moving into town. Just me."

She hesitated and looked at me curiously before nodding.

"Mind if I ask how old you are? You don't look much older than my son and… well, I'd never let him move across the country without me whether he liked the idea or not."

"I'm 17." I laughed hesitantly, "My parents actually made me move here. I didn't want to."

The words came out before I could stop them or understand why I would feel like telling a complete stranger those details of my life. She didn't need to know that.

The woman looked to be at a loss for words and rightly so. If I were her, I'd be contemplating what type of parents send their child to a small town across the country without them too. Of course, she didn't know the circumstances and she didn't know my parents.

"I'm Deb. I co-own this café with my friend Karen who is actually in Australia for the summer. If you ever need anything, you let me know ok? I don't know the reasons behind your move or what kind of parents would send their child across the country unaccompanied, but there are people in this town who are willing to help. Don't feel like you're alone."

She had obviously been thinking exactly what I thought she had been thinking but her reaction to it surprised me yet again. It was really nice of her to offer her help even though she didn't know me and that endeared me to her instantly.

"I actually need a bit of help now… I have no furniture for the house and there's a lot of rooms to furnish but I don't know where to find a furniture store. Any idea where I should go?"

She smiled sweetly at me and again I felt a sort of connection with her that I couldn't place my finger on.

"There is a really nice furniture store over by the mall just outside of town. I could give you directions or… if you'd be willing to wait a few minutes, I could call my son and have him show you. I was right. You two are the same age."

I wanted to say yes because having a guide would be a lot easier than trying to find it on my own, but I got the feeling she thought this could be a matchmaking opportunity of sorts. I wasn't sure about it, but I had been around several hopeful mothers before, trying to set me up with their sons, and it seemed like that kind of situation.

I didn't have the chance to reply though because the bells above the door jingled and Deb's eyes went to the person walking in. She smiled brightly and I turned to see who she was looking at.

"Nathan! We were just talking about you."

Nathan was tall with an athletic build and, assuming this was the son she was talking about, I would have no trouble being set up with him after all. I wouldn't mind one bit.

"Hi mom." Nathan kissed his mothers cheek and sat down next to me, smiling at me warily, "Hi, I'm Nathan Scott."

"Savannah Carter." I shook the hand he outstretched and smiled back, "Your mother and I were talking about furniture. She says there's a place by the mall just outside of town but I'm new to town and well… I don't know where that is."

"Are you busy Nate? Or do you think you could take her?"

"I just wanted to get out of the house so… sure." Nathan shrugged.

Deb's face softened and she frowned at him, but not in a mad way, more of a disappointed frown.

"You and Haley still not talking?"

"Oh, she's talking plenty. I'm just choosing to ignore her." Nathan stood up and I followed, "I don't wanna talk about it mom. I'll see you later. If Haley comes by, tell her exactly where I went and who I went with."

"Nathan…" Even the tone in Deb's voice was disappointed, "She's your…"

"Yeah, I know." He cut her off and led me to the door, "See you later."

Once we had left the café and got into my car the silence was almost awkward. I wasn't sure what to say to this guy sitting next to me and from the look on his face, I was pretty sure he didn't know what to say to me either.

"So um…" Nathan started looking over at me, "Did you just move here?"

I smiled, knowing I was gonna have to answer that question a lot in the next few weeks.

"Yes. I just moved here from Beverly Hills, California into a house on Country Club Road that has no furniture and about a million rooms so… that's why I need to go to the furniture store."

The whole statement would save having to answer a couple questions, but I could hear the next question before he even said it.

"Why don't your parents do the decorating?"

"My parents don't live there. Just me."

Much to my surprise Nathan just nodded without looking the least bit surprised.

"Are you emancipated?" He asked.

"No." I was puzzled, "Why would you think I'm emancipated?"

"Well, I am." He laughed, "I kinda decided last year that my parents sucked and emancipated myself. Moved into my own apartment. I figured you did the same just moved across the country and into a really nice house instead."

I had to laugh with him. Although that explanation did seem pretty logical coming from his point of view, it was nothing I would have thought of on my own.

"No, no. Not me. I uh… got into some trouble and my parents decided that as my punishment I would have to leave the town I grew up in. Apparently Tree Hill, North Carolina seemed like a good idea so they bought me a house and sent me on my merry way."

"Right." Nathan smiled over at me in a curious manner, "I guess my parents don't suck as much as I thought they did. At least they would never send me across the country, but then again, they would never do that cause then their bargaining chip would be gone."

I could hear the bitterness and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to ask questions about that.

"Sorry." Nathan sensed the awkwardness, "You don't need to hear about the shit my parents do. You obviously have enough to worry about."

"I don't mind hearing about other people's problems I just… barely know you." I shrugged, "Tell me if you feel comfortable though. You tell me then… I'll tell you and we can see whose family is more fucked up."

This time he laughed loudly.

"Ok, this should be fun."

The car ride turned into a gab fest easily as he began to tell me about his parents. His dad, Dan, had met his mom in college. They fell in love and three months into their freshman year, Deb got pregnant. They tried to stay in school despite her growing pregnancy and the pressures it put on both of them, but eventually they both dropped out. Her parents had given them some money with which Dan had moved his new wife Deb and their then newborn son Nathan to Tree Hill, the town he had grown up in. He opened a car dealership with the money Deb's parents had given him and they had started their life together. Little did Deb know then though that when Dan had left Tree Hill a year earlier, he had also left behind his pregnant girlfriend which is when Deb had found out about Karen and her son Lucas.

"Wait, Karen? The lady who owns the café with your mom and is in Australia for the summer?"

"Listen to the story. I'm not done." Nathan scolded me.

"Ok, ok." This story was getting confusing.

Nathan went on with the story as soon as he had made sure we were still on the right track to get to the furniture store and I was quiet. Dan did nothing to claim his first born son Lucas after they moved back to town. Karen raised Lucas and Deb and Dan raised Nathan, neither boy really knowing about the underlying secret their parents held. It wasn't until around the second grade, after a few years of kids picking on them for having the same last name and whisperings of how they had the same daddy, that the boys found out the truth. Dan had told Nathan that Lucas was not his brother and the fact that they shared the same last name was wishful thinking on Karen's part. But Lucas had dropped out of junior league basketball shortly after that and Nathan instinctively knew the truth then.

"You play basketball?" I asked, excited that maybe I could at least play recreationally over the summer, since I would no longer be able to play on a real team.

"Yes." Nathan gave me a weird look as if asking me why I had yet again interrupted his story.

"I do too. Or well, I used to. That was part of my… well, you'll hear when I tell you my story. Sorry, go on." I shut up again and let him continue.

Lucas and Nathan avoided each other after that year in school. They of course had to see each other every once in awhile in passing, but never more than that. Nathan continued playing organized basketball with his father hounding him every second and Lucas played with a small group of friends at what they called the Rivercourt, never having any contact with his father. They grew up like that, ignoring each other until their sophomore year of high school, which was the school year that had just ended. One night, after the Tree Hill High School Ravens basketball team had won a big game, Nathan and a bunch of the guys from the team had high jacked a school bus to celebrate, but they got caught. A few of the guys, Nathan included, got off without a reprimand because their parents were influential. Dan, it seemed, had become a staple in the community having the only big car dealership in the area and because of that he was able to call in favors all the time. The guys from the team who hadn't been so lucky were kicked off the team for the season, leaving them with only half a basketball team and a big problem.

"If it wasn't for that stupid ass stunt that, I'm not proud to say, was my idea, half the things that happened this year wouldn't have happened." Nathan said simply, "My life would be completely different."

"Good different or bad different?" I asked curiously.

Nathan took a moment to think and then shrugged.

"I honestly couldn't say."

We pulled up to the furniture store and parked. While we shopped, Nathan continued his story.

Whitey, the basketball coach, had to recruit new people for the team and it seemed one place to look was the Rivercourt. There, he found Lucas who was apparently an awesome ball player. Eventually, and Nathan didn't say how long it took, Lucas joined the team. Nathan, under pressure from his dad to keep Lucas off the team, hazed Lucas for a long time. Lucas didn't crack though and he stayed on the team no matter what Nathan did to him. Eventually Nathan came up with a new plan. He decided to mess with Lucas in a whole different manner which required getting close to Lucas's best friend Haley.

"The girl you and your mom were talking about in the café? I'm confused." I interjected, "Why…"

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?" Nathan asked with a grin on his face.

We had fallen into a relaxed repertoire with ease and he pushed me slightly.

"Listen to the story."

I shut up and went back to picking out furniture for the house while he talked.

Haley, Lucas's best friend, was a tutor. So Nathan developed the plan to get her to tutor him and get close to her, eventually driving Lucas to get jealous and using that to get him to quit the team. The plan backfired though, and Nathan had fallen for Haley. He had fallen hard. When Lucas had found out that Nathan and Haley were a real couple, he hadn't been happy. Dan wasn't either. There were pressures from everywhere as Nathan tried to deal with his dad hounding him about basketball, a new relationship with Haley, and the then declining relationship of his parents. After his dad used him as a bargaining chip against his mom and his mom told him that a few years ago she had abandoned him to get away from Dan, Nathan had decided to become emancipated and it was then that he had moved into his apartment and begun living a life of his own.

"Your mom was so nice today though. I can't see her abandoning you."

"She did it in a time where my father was at his worst and I can understand now why she would have wanted to get away from him so badly, but the summer when she was gone was the worst for me. My dad hounded me every single day about basketball and not being good enough. When she told me all I could think about was how she had left me with that, knowing how bad my dad was. But you saw us this morning, we're fine now. My mom and I are on good terms."

"And your dad?"

"Well, my dad actually almost died a few weeks ago. Someone set fire to the car dealership with him inside. He's still in the hospital with pretty bad burns."

"Oh my god…" I was shocked at that. It didn't sound good.

"I can't say I'd miss him if he did die." Nathan admitted, "Feel like that about any of your family members?"

I smiled.

"My mother. I hate her. I don't have to put the energy into wishing she was dead though because she's not around enough to make a difference."

"Wow…" Nathan sighed, "Not done with the story yet though so keep listening."

"K."

He backtracked into the story a little to explain to me that at some point during everything, before he was emancipated and before he and Haley had really become anything, his mom had offered to run the café while Karen went out of town. The two had apparently become friends and Karen was going to Italy for six weeks so she let Deb run the café. During those six weeks, a lot had happened. He and Haley had become a real item. He and Lucas weren't quite friends but they had managed to become civil to each other. Lucas had apparently begun seeing a girl named Brooke who had previously been the slut of Tree Hill High, only she really fell for Lucas. Lucas cheated on her with Peyton, Brooke's best friend and Nathan's ex-girlfriend, and I was told they were planning on telling Brooke about it but when Lucas and Keith, who was the boys Uncle I guess, were on the way to the airport to pick up Karen coming back from her trip to Italy, there was a car crash leaving Lucas in the hospital.

"My dad was the one who took Luke to the hospital which made us think that maybe he had a heart after all. We were wrong of course, but we all really rallied around Lucas then. Haley was upset because she had said some really bad things to Lucas just before he was in the crash and she felt like she couldn't visit him at the hospital, so I went for her."

"That's so sweet."

"Yeah, yeah." Nathan rolled his eyes, "I was there when he woke up from his coma."

"Yeah? That's awesome. Haley was probably very grateful to you."

"She was, but that wasn't the point. There are some things that happened during the year that I just wouldn't know how to explain. The Brooke/Lucas/Peyton triangle caused a lot of problems. It was about that time that I filed for emancipation and won. I moved out but had to get a job and that was new for me."

"A job… that's like a bad word at my school in Cali. No one works."

"I can't say I can see you with a job." Nathan laughed.

"Haha, very funny." I replied sarcastically, "Get back to the story."

Nathan explained that he and Lucas had taken time after that to actually become brothers instead of enemies. They embraced the fact that they both despised their father. Their other common link was Haley. The relationship with Haley was escalating and more and more Nathan knew he was falling in love with her. Meanwhile Lucas was becoming more and more a guy that he didn't want to be and by the middle of the school year, after losing the basketball championship game with Dan as their temporary coach, Lucas decided that he was going to move with their Uncle Keith to Charlotte to be a better person. It was then, that very same night, that Nathan and Haley had gotten married.

"Married? You're married?" I wasn't just stunned at this information, I was practically floored. No way was this 17 year old, very attractive male standing in front of me married.

"Calm down." Nathan laughed, "I am married. Things aren't going too great though. I'm getting ahead of the story though."

"Yeah, but you're married. Do I really need to hear more of the story than that? Since when do 17 year olds get married?"

Nathan was still laughing.

"We were in love and hey, the marriage worked really well for about… 3 months."

"And then?"

"And then she became a singer. Well, she sang when we were dating and once we were married she started working on recording a real album and eventually, she left me to go on tour."

"And you got mad at her for that?"

"No, not really for that. It was more for the fact that she went on tour with a guy she had kissed and lied to me about kissing."

"Oh." I could understand that. "Wait, are we talking about Haley James? Like, the Haley James who was recently touring with Chris Keller, The Wreckers, and Gavin DeGraw?"

"Haley James-Scott." Nathan smiled, "That's the one. How'd you know?"

" I remember now hearing her say something about it when I saw her in concert in LA."

"You saw her in concert?" Nathan suddenly formed a curious expression on his face that I wasn't expecting, "How was it? I mean… I've obviously experienced her singing, but a real tour with her on stage and the lights… She talks about how magical it was but I never saw it."

"She was awesome. Camille and I, that's my best friend, talked about how good she was. She said something that night about being new to performing in front of audiences and usually it was just her husband who heard her sing. We thought that was weird later when we heard she was only 17." I paused, "Who was the guy that she kissed then? Chris Keller or Gavin DeGraw?"

"Chris." Nathan said the name venomously, "He helped her with her music for awhile and they became… close."

"Not cool." I knew the feeling of being cheated on and he wasn't even my husband. I couldn't imagine the hurt Nathan must have felt.

"So what happened?"

His parents had been very rabidly against the marriage. At first it was just his mom because his dad was in the hospital after having a heart attack, which brought Keith and Lucas back to town. His mom treated Haley badly though, even though she had thought they were great together before they were married. When his dad found out, he went against them too, trying everything he could to break them apart. After everything, Chris did what his parents had failed at and split them apart. She went on tour and Nathan fell apart, turning into a mess and eventually having to move back in with his parents.

"I feel like your life could be a soap opera." I said simply, finishing my shopping and coming to a rest at the check-out counter to pay for my purchases.

"Or a primetime TV show." Nathan nodded, "There's stuff I haven't even told you about but… you get the point. In one year I have gained a brother, lost a brother, gotten married, broken up, almost died…"

"You almost died?"

"While Haley was gone, I got in a car crash driving a NASCAR car. I slammed into a wall at like 160 and it wasn't good."

"Wow."

"Yeah…"

"Well, so now Haley's back?"

"Haley's back. She says she wants to be with me and that she made a mistake by leaving on the tour. Her and Chris were never a thing I guess, it was just the one kiss, but I have a hard time believing that. Doesn't matter though because I leave tomorrow for basketball camp."

"Yeah? Haley doesn't object to that?"

"She doesn't have a right to object to that. She left me first and I made plans to leave thinking she was still gonna be gone. She showed up the same night my dad's dealership burnt down."

"So… are your parents still married then? Cause you said they were getting a divorce at one point…"

"It seems like every time the divorce may actually happen, something comes up to stop it. They're still married and probably will be for awhile since he's gonna have to recuperate from his burns now."

"Are you and Haley gonna get a divorce?"

Nathan shrugged.

"Probably not. At least not until after I get back from High Flyers. Until then, we'll just be in limbo. I need to focus on my game for now and quit worrying about Haley."

I took in everything he had just told me, knowing there were definitely still things I would learn about this town. It was a surprise that so much could happen to one person in a year, especially in such a small town. Maybe I had been wrong thinking that a small town had less drama than a big one though. In a small town things were more condensed. Maybe being condensed made things actually more dramatic.

"Well, I have to say that with all of that, you definitely have the worse family. I hate my mom but I love my dad. They're not around but I live a privileged life. I had friends, except that my boyfriend cheated on me with one of my friends. The same girl he cheated on me with got me kicked off the basketball team and thrown out of school by planting weed in my locker. My parents sent me here to live but I'm kinda liking this town so far." I smiled at Nathan who was listening to my story intently, "I have a brother and sister, they're twins, and my sister is a bitch but she's still my sister. My brother, is in art school in France. I really don't see much of any of my family so I can't complain that they cause me much trouble. They're just all fucked up."

"I take the worse family award then huh?"

"Definitely."

We got into the car again and headed back to Tree Hill, the receipt for my purchases in my purse with a promise to deliver by 5pm the same day.

We were quiet as we drove and then Nathan began to laugh a little maniacally.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Welcome to Tree Hill." He said simply.

I began to laugh too.


	3. Chapter 2: Good to See

**Chapter Two**

_**Good to See**_

**Lucas POV**

Peyton was a wreck. With everything that had happened to her at the end of the school year, I couldn't say I blamed her for being a wreck, but it was hard to see her like this. She, as she had been doing every day, was currently laying on her bed crying and only I was around to witness it as I sat with her, trying to bring some perspective to it all. We were going in circles around the real issues though. Ellie, this woman who claimed to be her mother, was still in town and I couldn't help but feel that if maybe Peyton would just talk to her, maybe she could get some answers.

"I don't want to talk to her Luke. I have nothing to say to her. She's a liar. My mom is dead so she can't be my mom."

"Have you gotten in touch with your dad yet? Is he coming home to clear all of this up?"

Peyton sighed, turning over to lay on her back and look up at me.

"He's coming home. I don't know if I want to hear what he has to say though. If she is my mother, he's a bastard for not telling me sometime in the last 17 years of my life and if she's not my mother, why does she think she is? I'm really confused Luke."

I motioned for her to come sit with me and she did, curling up in my arms and laying her head on my shoulder.

"No matter what the answers to your questions are, you'll still have me. I'm here for you whenever you need me."

"Thanks." She whispered and we fell into a comfortable silence, both of us just getting lost in our thoughts.

I couldn't be sure what she was thinking about but my thoughts turned to the past year and all of the things that had happened. I could remember a time in the not so distant past when I would have killed to be holding Peyton Sawyer in my arms like this, but that was before everything. Before I had joined the basketball team, dated and subsequently broke Brooke's heart… it was before I had become friends with Nathan. It was before I knew Dan, or Deb, or any of the people I had gotten to know this year. It was back when it was my mom, Keith, Haley and I against the world. Back when I played basketball with Skillz, Fergie, and Junk every day. It seemed like a long time ago, but really, it had only been a year.

"I need to get out of this house. Wanna go do something?" Peyton asked, wiping her eyes and sitting up, "I'm tired of moping. Jake's gone and I'll live. Ellie may be my mother in some weird way, and I'll deal with it. I just… wanna get out of this house."

This was new. Peyton was no longer crying? Hmm… I should capitalize on that immediately.

"We could go play basketball at the Rivercourt. I haven't done that in awhile." I suggested.

Peyton got off the bed and started digging through her dresser drawers.

"That's fine. As long as it has nothing to do with being in this house."

She grabbed some clothes from the drawer she was rifling through and then disappeared into her bathroom, shutting the door while she changed.

It would be nice to get out of this house. Her room was becoming more and more depressing to me and fresh air was going to be, for lack of a better word, refreshing.

"Alright, let's go." Peyton came out of the bathroom after throwing on her cheer shorts and a t-shirt, pulling her hair into a ponytail, and applying a quick gloss to her lips. She grabbed her car keys and her sketch book and disappeared from the room.

I had to jog to keep up with her as she practically ran from the house.

The car ride to the Rivercourt was quiet since I didn't know what to say and Peyton was obviously all talked out. I watched her as she drove, just trying to decipher what could be going on in her mind from the expression on her face. She was coolly unreadable though.

"Looks like everyone's here." Peyton said simply, turning my gaze from her face to the court where I could visibly make out Skillz, Fergie, Junk, and Nathan playing basketball. There was also a girl playing. A girl that I had never seen before. Watching from the sidelines were Mouth and Erika who was laughing as Mouth was clearly doing his commentary into the recorder sitting beside him.

"Who's the girl?" I asked, not really expecting an answer as Peyton stopped the car.

"Let's go find out." Peyton raised her eyebrows at me as she jumped out of the car and headed for the bench where Mouth and Erika were.

I followed closely behind her while watching the game continue. The girl was good, whoever she was. She had just landed a jump shot with Nathan covering her.

"Hey Peyton. Luke, you have got to meet this new girl. She is awesome." Mouth greeted us with a smile.

"Who is she?" I asked, expecting an answer this time as I took a seat next to Peyton on the table.

"Savannah." Mouth said as if that explained everything, "She just moved here from California."

The four of us watched until finally Nathan and Skillz were forced to retire, watching Savannah, Junk, and Fergie celebrate their victory.

"Luke man, this girl is amazing." Fergie jumped right in, "She plays basketball like most girls shop. So swift… so beautiful."

He gazed at Savannah longingly and I could tell he was talking not only about her basketball skills but about her looks too. She was tall with long tanned legs visible from the tiny athletic shorts she wore. Her dark brown hair was currently piled on top of her head loosely but she was reaching up to pull the elastic tie from it while I watched her. It fell around her shoulders and down her back, framing her face which I noticed was the home of two stunningly gorgeous crystal blue eyes which were now staring back at me.

"Hi." She reached out her hand to me, "I'm Savannah."

She shook my hand quickly and then Peyton's.

"I'm Peyton. This is Lucas." Peyton spoke for both of us since the words hadn't yet come from my mouth.

"Oh, you're Nate's brother." She smiled at me, looking back and forth from me to Nathan for a second, "I've heard a lot about you."

"All bad of course." Nathan spoke up with a grin in my direction.

"Of course." I finally found the voice to speak and smiled back at him, "I would expect no less."

"The game was fun guys but I have to get back to my house now." Savannah sighed, turning away from me, "I have furniture being delivered Nate."

It struck me as a little weird that she was calling Nathan "Nate" even though she couldn't possibly have known him very long. I wondered how long they had actually known each other. I didn't know everything about Nathan. Maybe they were friends before she moved here.

"Right." Nathan nodded his recognition, "I'm being forced to help her move all her furniture into her house. The girl gets to town like 3 hours ago, shows up at the café and somehow manages to get my mom to offer my services without me even setting foot in the café."

"When you did show up, it didn't take much to convince you though." Savannah defended herself playfully pushing Nathan to the side, "If I remember correctly, you were pretty eager to get away from a certain house where a certain person was…"

Nathan's eyes darted to me and I knew instinctively they must be talking about Haley. I knew she was back in town but I had only seen her once since she had returned and it was then that she had told me how bad things were between her and Nathan.

I couldn't really blame Nathan for being angry with Haley after everything they had been through, but my heart went out to my best friend in this situation. I could tell she was really hurting and I gave her credit for at least returning to try and make things work. I wish Nathan would give her the same credit but it seemed he was determined to keep her at a distance.

"And on that note I think it's time for us to go." Nathan grabbed his gym bag and motioned for he and Savannah to move towards what I was assuming was her car since I didn't recognize it.

"You could give her a chance to explain herself Nathan!" I called after them as they walked away.

"Stay out of it Lucas!" Nathan called back to me without turning around.

Savannah looked back at us and waved then playfully shoved Nathan before taking off in a sprint towards her car. He chased her and we could hear their laughter as they got in and sped away.

I was lost in thoughts of how Haley would react if she saw how Nathan and Savannah were acting with each other when I realized that all six sets of eyes around me were staring, waiting for my reaction.

"What?" I asked, not sure what they really wanted from me.

Peyton opened her mouth to say something but Skillz interrupted her before she could speak.

"Savannah's hot right? She's got mad b-ball skills and she's smoking sexy. Hella hot."

The previous tension was gone as we all started to laugh.

"You are such a guy." Peyton sighed.

"What?" Skillz scoffed, "She is sexy. Luke, back me up on this one dawg."

"She's hot." I admitted, looking over at Peyton for her reaction.

She raised her eyebrow at me but made no comment. I was glad she decided to keep her mouth shut on this one. She was the only person who knew that I had told Brooke I loved her just before she left for California and I wanted it to stay that way. The less people knew what an ass I had made of myself, the better.

"How does she know Nathan?" I asked, averting the subject from the way Savannah looked.

"You heard him man. Three hours ago she moves into town, talks to his mom at the café and then they went furniture shopping. Showed up here after that and asked to get in on a game. You came in at the end of that. That's how they know each other." Skillz replied.

"And you're sure they've never met before today?"

I had to ask, for Haley's sake, if not to satisfy my own curiosity. They looked really comfortable with each other for only having met a few hours before.

"Positive. He was amazed as much as we were when she busted out her skills on the court." Junk said.

"She also told me before she started playing that her parents just sent her here today and she'd never even heard of Tree Hill before. If they'd met, he probably would have told her where he was from." Mouth added.

For a second everyone was quiet as I took in the information that they gave me.

"Luke, dawg, why do you care when they met? She is fine with a capital F and he's married. As far as I'm concerned, that means she's single baby."

I looked at Skillz and couldn't help but laugh. He always seemed to put a perspective on things that I could find humor in.

"Whatever man, let's just play some basketball. I'm ready to kick some ass."

Fergie and Junk headed for the court while I retied my shoes and then stood.

"Peyton, you gonna play?" I asked, assuming she had put workout clothes on to participate.

"I don't know. I'll never be able to live up to Savannah's… how'd you say it Skillz? "Mad b-ball skills?" Yeah, I don't have mad skills."

I laughed at her while Skillz jumped up and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"It's ok Peyt. We'll love you anyway." He said which made her laugh loudly too.

It was good to see her laugh again, something she hadn't done in weeks. For a few seconds I was able to see the fun loving side of Peyton again while Skillz escorted her to the court.

"Luke, come on!"

The game came back to me easily. It had been awhile since I'd really played with all the drama that the end of the school year had brought, but I had missed it, and it felt good to get back on the court. Peyton had been right. She didn't have the basketball skills we were used to but it was fun to laugh and watch her laugh when the guys went easy on her. Skillz would hand her the ball even though he wasn't on her team and let her make a free shot. Fergie and Junk picked her up so she could dunk on the rim. She was happy, if only for the moment, and it made the game that much more fun.

Hours after the game, Peyton and I made our way up the sidewalks of downtown, strolling easily. Her smiles came sporadically but they glowed with memories of good times. It was nice to see her smile again. The light in her eyes had returned and I hoped it would stay. Anything that I could do to make it stay, I would.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" I asked her as we approached my mom's café. It wouldn't be the same without my mom cooking, but it'd be food at least.

"Sure." Peyton smiled again and nodded, "I'm pretty hungry actually."

The café as had been usual lately was packed and it was hard to find an empty table. In the end, we didn't find one, but we found one with a few friendly faces, and that was the best we could do.

"Have a seat. Join us." Savannah smiled up at us and patted the chair next to her at the table she sat at with Nathan, "We were starving after arranging all the furniture in the house, so we thought we'd get some food. You all look like you've been having fun. Play some basketball?"

She didn't miss a beat. When her mouth wasn't occupied with food, she was talking and without a doubt, she talked more than she ate.

"It's been awhile since I've made it to the Rivercourt to play so it was nice to be back out there. After being away for awhile you start to miss the court, miss the guys… just miss the feel of things." I admitted to her and she smiled enchantingly at me.

"It's been a couple months since I played too. We were just starting spring training when I got kicked off the team."

"You got kicked off?" Peyton questioned her with a look that clearly stated she thought Savannah wasn't capable of doing such a thing.

"Yeah. The whole thing was bogus. My ex-friend framed me for possession of marijuana. Hence the getting kicked off the team and getting sent to live here. I have to say though… I don't think I'm gonna mind living here."

Savannah was smiling over at Nathan and even though I knew they had only known each other for a day, I wondered if something was going on between them already. First she was calling him Nate, and now she was grinning and admitting she liked it here.

"Actually, I was thinking that I might invite people over for a get together, not really a party, but more of a welcome-to-town-I-don't-want-to-stay-at-my-house-alone-tonight get together. I have a big screen TV, surround sound that Nathan promised to hook up for me, and new comfy couches. I also have 5 bedrooms at my disposal. Assuming it's just a small group, everyone could sleep over. You two interested?"

The invite to stay over at Savannah's house for the night was a surprise to say the least but a welcome one. She was gorgeous and even though I knew it wasn't the kind of sleepover that most guys would get excited about, I was suddenly excited about it. It would be fun.

"Peyt?" I looked to Peyton, hoping she'd be up for it so that I wouldn't have to turn down the opportunity. Truth was, I had stayed every night since my mom had left at Peyton's house to make sure she was ok. I couldn't leave her alone tonight if she didn't want to go to Savannah's party.

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Peyton smiled and nodded, "I'm in. Who else are you inviting?"

"Well, I don't know anyone else." Savannah sighed, "Nate? You wanna bring Haley?"

"No." Nathan said too quickly, "Please God no."

"Nathan…" I heard myself growl and mentally scolded myself for sounding so damn overprotective of my best friend.

"Lay off it Lucas. Fine, Haley can come if she feels like it but I'm not inviting her." Nathan crossed his arms and pouted, reminding me of a young child throwing a fit because he didn't get his way. I almost laughed.

"I'll call her and ask her if she'll come." I volunteered, "Can anyone think of anyone else?"

"Keep it small. Remember there are only five bedrooms so unless some people are sharing…"

"What about the guys from the Rivercourt?" Nathan asked, "Just them and then we'll be set. Unless you want to invite my best friend Tim, but he's an idiot and if we tell him there's a get together, he might open his big mouth and it'll end up a true party."

"The guys from the Rivercourt can come." Savannah agreed, "But let's keep Tim out of it. We'll keep it small tonight and… maybe later in the summer we'll throw a big bash."

"What's this about a big bash?" Deb chose that moment to come over and join us with a pot of coffee to refill our cups, "Nathan, please don't trash my beach house again."

"Not at the beach house mom." Nathan sighed, "At Savannah's house and we're not saying anytime soon. Later in the summer."

"Oh." Deb smiled and winked at Savannah, "Well, ok. You kids be good. I'll be back in a little while."

"Your mom is so adorable." Savannah laughed and nudged Nathan who rolled his eyes dramatically.

Nathan's phone began to ring then and he opened it, sighing and then handing it to me. The caller id read 'Haley' and that made me sigh. I had to answer but there would be questions, mainly about why Nathan had made me answer the phone.

"Hey Hales." I answered the phone with a smile.

Across the table, Savannah and Nathan went into a whispered conversation. They pulled Peyton into it too while I listened to Haley.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"I did call Nathan right?" She asked.

"Yes you did, but you reached me. He's… in the bathroom." I hated lying to her but it would kill her if I told her he'd handed me the phone instead of answering it himself, "I was about to call you anyway though. We are talking about having a small group of people over to Savannah's house and…"

"Who's Savannah?"

Oops, I had forgotten Haley hadn't been around at all today, and Savannah had just moved here. It was weird, but it felt like she had been around longer.

"She's the new girl in town and in order to get to know more people, she invited us all over to her house for a movie night. Think you want to come?"

"Nathan's going?" She questioned me uncertainly. I could tell her insecurities were coming into play. She didn't know Savannah. She didn't know who she was or what she looked like or how she knew any of us, most of all Nathan. Haley was probably going to freak out soon.

"Yeah, he's going."

Nathan looked my way and then went back to his conversation.

"Does he want me there?"

"Yeah." I lied, "Just come Hales. It'll be fun. Peyt and I can come pick you up now if you want."

"Well…" I could tell Haley was considering her options. She could say no and not have to deal with her husband or the new girl tonight, or she could say yes and possibly spend some quality time with Nathan.

Across the table Savannah smacked Nathan on his arm and gave him a serious nudge in my direction. I was confused. He turned to me and nodded slowly, holding out his hand.

"Let me talk to her."

"Haley, hold on a sec. Nathan just got back from the bathroom."

I smiled at him when I handed him the phone. This could be a disaster or it could be a breakthrough. Whatever Savannah had said to him, she was making progress happen fast.

"Haley?" Nathan said into the phone and then sighed, "Are you gonna go?"

She was saying something and Nathan was listening and nodding while she talked. So far, so good. I smiled at Savannah who was grinning in my direction.

"Well, I have to come by the house and get a change of clothes cause we're all spending the night over there. I'll pick you up and you can ride with me ok?"

I knew that Haley would never turn down a ride from him because that meant she would at least have alone time with him for the car ride. She would take advantage of the time to talk.

"See you soon." Nathan paused and rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Bye."

He flipped his phone closed and pocketed it. The rest of us were quiet, not knowing what to say.

"One of you is riding with me. I can't be forced to be alone with her in a car for the entire car ride. Even if it is only a few blocks." Nathan groaned, "I should have just given her the address and told her to walk."

"Nathan." Savannah frowned, "That's not nice."

"Savannah." He replied in a sarcastic tone, "It wasn't supposed to be."

"If you don't want to give her a ride, why did you offer?" Peyton asked.

It was a good question. Why had he offered if he was gonna make it such a big deal? Peyton and I could have given her a ride.

"I don't know." Nathan mumbled with a shrug, "It doesn't matter. I'll be fine with her alone I guess. What time do you want us there Savannah?"

"Well, you have to be the one to set up the surround sound so you have to be there before everyone else." Savannah replied, "Someone needs to call the guys from the Rivercourt. I am gonna head back to the house and make sure everything is set up. I'll pick up popcorn and junk food stuff. You guys need directions right?"

Peyton nodded for the both of us.

"It's not hard. From here just go up Dock St. until it turns into Wrightsville Ave. Turn right onto Country Club Rd. and I'm the third house on the left."

"You really are like two blocks from Nathan." Peyton laughed and once again I noticed how good it was to see her laugh. It was still surprising me when it happened.

"Yep." Savannah grinned and stood up, "So I will see you guys in… about an hour good?"

"Sounds good." I told her.

"Ok. Nate, don't worry. You'll be fine driving with Haley a few blocks. All you have to do is make it to my house and you won't be alone anymore." Savannah hugged him and then headed for the door waving, "See ya soon."

As soon as she was gone, Nathan, Peyton and I exchanged looks that said it all. We were in for big changes this summer.


	4. Chapter 3: Let's Party

**Chapter Three**

_**Let's Party**_

**Nathan POV**

"Haley?" I called into the house when I entered. It was very quiet and I wasn't sure exactly where she was. Hopefully I could get this done quickly and we could go. The less time we were alone, the better.

I wasn't so much scared to spend the time with her. It wasn't that I didn't want to be around her, but the longer we were alone together, the more likely we would fight and the more we fought, well… Eventually if all we did was fight, we would have to admit that we couldn't be together anymore.

"I'm upstairs!" Came the reply that I was waiting for.

I went up the stairs slowly and headed for the room I knew she was staying in. I found her with clothes scattered on her bed while she went through them, picking up something and then setting it down. She'd pick up something else and then set down that too. Her overnight duffle bag was still empty.

"It's just one night Haley. You don't need anything special."

She looked up as if she were surprised I was standing there. She set down the clothing in her hand and sighed.

"I don't even know this girl. I have no clue what to take with me."

"Pajamas would be a start." I actually managed a smile at her but she wasn't amused.

"Why are we doing this? Who is she? When did you meet her? Are we sure she's not some psycho killer? I don't…"

"Slow down Hales." Before I could stop myself I was by her side, my hands on her arms, making her face me, "She's nice. You're gonna like her and yes, we're sure she's not a psycho killer. I've been with her all day, helping her pick out furniture for her house."

As soon as I said I had been with her all day, Haley's head snapped up and she looked directly into my eyes.

"You've been with her all day?"

I released her arms and groaned, turning away from her.

"Don't do this." I warned her.

"Don't do what Nathan? What am I doing?" Haley grabbed my arm and tried to get me to turn back around and look at her, "Don't walk away again. What am I doing? Answer me."

"You're getting jealous!" I yelled and turned back around, making her back away from me slightly, "You don't even know her and you're already getting jealous and assuming that I'm interested in her! You have no right to get jealous."

"I have every right. I'm your wife!" She yelled back at me.

I had been right. We were gonna fight.

"Just because you're my wife doesn't give you the right Haley and remember, that title can be quickly removed."

She glared at me and I could tell I was making her angry. Lately, we had been fighting at least once a day. At first she hadn't fought back. I would yell and scream but she would just cry and plead with me to forgive her for everything that happened between us. Yesterday we had actually had a fight where she yelled back at me and today it seemed would be no different.

"I already said I was sorry for everything Nathan so why do you keep holding it against me? Do you like fighting with me every day?" Her voice was still raised but she wasn't yelling.

"That's not the point Haley." I expertly avoided all her questions, "The point is that even if I did have a thing for Savannah, which I don't, you wouldn't have the right to get jealous. After all, you're the one who ran off with Chris."

"And I said I was sorry! Nathan, can't you just quit dwelling in the past and get over it? I came back! I came back to be with you! Chris and I were never anything. It was just one kiss!" She was yelling now, but in a pleading manner.

"I leave tomorrow for High Flyers. You can either get your stuff together and come over to Savannah's house with me or you can stay here tonight and not see me until the end of the summer. Your choice, but this… argument or fight or whatever the hell we're calling it today, is staying here. I'm done fighting with you. I've had a good day and you're ruining it. Get your shit together. I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."

I didn't want to fight with her today. I didn't want to fight with her ever, but we had done it again. We went there, and I just wanted to leave and make it to Savannah's. Maybe at least there we wouldn't fight. If only for tonight, it would be peaceful in Nathan and Haley land.

My stuff for High Flyers was already packed in a corner. I was leaving at 10 am, meaning that I would probably have to leave from Savannah's house in the morning. I grabbed those bags and toted them outside to my car. They should have everything I would need for the night.

When I went back inside, Haley was standing in the foyer, waiting for me with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She looked sad but she managed a smile in my direction.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

I sighed and went to her side, taking her bag from her and kissing her forehead softly.

"Me too." I whispered to her and then headed for the car again.

When all was said and done, I had to admit that I still loved Haley. I loved her more than anything in the world. The problem wasn't that we didn't love each other, because I knew she loved me too. The problem was that I didn't trust her and if I admitted it, I was hurt. When she had left, a piece of me had died, and it wasn't revived yet. It was going to take a long time for that piece of me to come back, and there was just no nice way of telling Haley that I wasn't ready to work on getting it back. So we fought.

The car ride was quiet. The few blocks went quickly and we pulled into Savannah's driveway only 30 minutes from the time I had seen her last. She was standing by the trunk of her car, pulling bags of groceries from it.

I heard Haley's breath hitch as I parked the car.

"What's wrong?" I asked her before turning the car off.

"Nothing." Haley mumbled.

She looked over and smiled at me but I knew something was bothering her. I wasn't gonna force her to talk though. Eventually I'd figure it out or she'd say something anyway.

"Get anything good?" I asked Savannah when I stepped out of the car.

She turned around, her arms full of groceries, and she smiled.

"I got all my favorites but I had no clue what anyone else liked. I think I just picked up one of everything in the store."

I knew she wasn't serious but it occurred to me that she very well could have if she had wanted to. All day she had been spending money as if it had no worth and while I had never had to struggle with money with my parents, I got the feeling that we had no idea the kind of wealth she was used to.

"Need any help carrying it?"

"Nope." She shut the trunk after picking up one last bag, "You just get your stuff inside and get to work on that surround sound. Everyone should be here in half an hour or so."

"Yes ma'am." I pulled me and Haley's bags from the car and carried them into the house.

Sensing that Haley was nervous, I offered her my hand as we entered the house and she took it eagerly. Her palm was a little sweaty and she held on to my hand as if she was holding on to save her life.

After I put down our bags in the foyer, unsure of where Savannah wanted all of our things, I led Haley into the kitchen where I knew Savannah would be. She stood by the kitchen island unloading some of the grocery bags there. The first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot of alcohol already on the counter. The second thing I realized was that she wasn't old enough to buy alcohol, but then again… that had never stopped me either.

"I thought we were having a small get together." I remarked and she turned to look at Haley and I.

I noticed her eyes travel to where our hands were linked and she smiled.

"We are. Doesn't mean the alcohol level needs to be low. Besides, whatever we don't drink tonight can be used later." She set down the bottle of rum in her hands and then extended her hand for Haley to shake, "Hi, I'm Savannah. You must be Haley."

"Hi." Haley shook her hand and smiled at her, "You live in a beautiful house."

"Thanks." Savannah turned around and went back to unloading her bags, "Your husband helped me pick out all the furniture today. Speaking of Nathan… don't you have something you're supposed to be doing?"

"Surround sound. Right." I slipped my hand from Haley's and turned towards the living room, "I'm on it."

From the living room I could no longer hear what Savannah and Haley were talking about, which almost bothered me.

The large flat screen TV was already hung on the wall above the fireplace, something I had labored over earlier in the day. Her plush couches we had placed in a U shape, facing the TV. I found the surround sound inside the entertainment cabinet to the left of the fireplace. There were a lot of wires, and no directions. The whole thing turned out to be very uncomplicated though. Wires were color coded and by the time everyone had arrived, leaving the house in utter chaos, I was finished.

It seemed that somehow, everyone had divided themselves into sort of groups. Savannah and Peyton were giggling about something while they sat comfortable on one side of the couch. Haley and Erika were gabbing about something on the other side. The five guys all stood in a circle and I watched as Skillz faked a jump shot with an imaginary ball. Everyone seemed to be having a good time so far.

"I take it your done Mr. Handyman?" Savannah teased me when she finally noticed that I was no longer doing anything.

"I am. Here is your remote. It works. I promise."

I handed her the large black remote and with the press of a button, everything was turned on and the sound filled the room.

"Oh, you're the greatest." Savannah sighed and changed channels with ease, "You get to pick the first movie because I love you."

I noticed Haley momentarily glare at Savannah but in the same instant the jealousy faded from sight.

"What'd you rent?" I picked up the bag of movies she had dropped in the living room and fell onto the couch next to Haley.

There were six movies in the bag and much to my surprise, none of them were chick flicks.

"The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Transporter, Napoleon Dynamite, Underworld, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I looked over at Savannah and frowned, "You're aware that none of these are girly movies right?"

"I'm sorry. Did you want a girly movie?" She frowned back at me, "Cause I can go back and get you one if you need it, but I'm not a girly movie girl."

"Amen dawg, finally a girl that I can respect." Skillz fell onto the couch next to Savannah and threw his arm around her shoulders, "What's up ma? What do YOU want to watch?"

Savannah laughed and removed his arm from around her shoulders, setting it in his lap gently.

"Well, it's Nate's choice but…" She smiled at me, "Psst… I think we should go with Bourne Identity."

"Let's start with Bourne Identity." I announced and pulled that one out of the bag, "Luke, you wanna put it in?"

Lucas took the DVD from me and put it into the DVD player a few feet away.

"Before everyone gets comfortable there are snacks and beverages in the kitchen. If you're drinking alcohol and don't know how much you should put into your drink, please tell me and I will mix it for you. Cups are on the counter. Ice is in the freezer." Savannah announced.

Skillz, Fergie, and Junk headed for the kitchen quickly. Peyton sort of lagged behind but headed in there also, Erika and Mouth just behind her.

"You want something?" I turned to Haley and asked her.

At least if we were going to be around each other, I could be nice so that we wouldn't fight in front of everyone else. Besides, it was our last night together before I would be gone for two months.

"I'm good right now." She smiled up at me.

"I'll be right back." I stood up and followed the others to the kitchen where Skillz and Junk had already begun mixing themselves drinks. Peyton grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and a bowl full of potato chips, making her way quickly from the kitchen. Mouth grabbed himself and Erika sodas while she picked up a few snacks. Fergie looked lost.

"There's just so much to choose from . I don't know where to start man."

I laughed and grabbed a beer for myself from the refrigerator. On the counter was a box of Cracker Jacks and all I could do was grin. For the first time in a long time I saw a good memory of Haley and I in my mind and for nostalgia's sake, I grabbed it and headed back into the living room.

When I returned I found Peyton at one end of the couch with Lucas at her side. On Luke's other side was Savannah and an empty spot I was assuming was mine. Haley followed with Erika on her other side, and Mouth bringing up the end. There were three empty spots for Junk, Skillz, and Fergie when they returned.

"Are the three stooges coming back anytime soon?" Savannah asked, the remote poised to press play.

"I doubt it. There's a lot of alcohol in there for them to have fun with." I replied, falling into my seat next to her, "Go ahead and start it."

She pressed play and wiggled down into her seat.

"These are for you." I handed Haley the box of Cracker Jacks and her face lit up.

"Thanks." She paused a second, just staring at me before she slowly tore them open and pulled out the small cracker jack prize envelope, "Whatever's inside will be for you then. We'll call it returning the favor."

She tore open the small envelope and out fell a tiny beaded bracelet, much like the one I had given her almost a year ago.

"Will you actually wear it?" She questioned before moving to put it on me.

"It's from you isn't it?"

Her surprised grin took over her features and I noticed that a small tear formed in the corner of her eye. It had really never occurred to me that if I played nice she would get so emotional about it.

"I love you." She mouthed silently and without waiting for my reply, curled up into my chest with my newly adorned arm around her shoulders.

Two hours later there were six drunk people in the room, myself included, sitting on the floor in a circle playing Truth or Dare. Let's admit it. Drunk people are not the most inventive people in the world.

"Ok, Haley, Truth or Dare?" Savannah giggled and then took a swig from the cup she held in her hand.

"Um…" Haley, who was clearly a little uncomfortable around all of us drunk people, kind of hesitated, "Truth."

This could be dangerous.

"Did you, or did you not, sleep with Chris Keller while you were on tour?"

Oh god.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Haley immediately took the defensive and even though my head screamed at me to keep my mouth shut, I spoke.

"Just tell the truth Haley. I'm drunk. I won't remember this tomorrow so you can tell everyone here the truth. How was he?"

She looked at me and glared, the hurt evident in her eyes.

"I did NOT sleep with Chris Keller…. EVER!" Before anyone could say anything else Haley left the room, fleeing upstairs, and we shortly heard a door slam.

"What'd I say?" Savannah shrugged and downed the rest of her drink before sighing, "Who's next?"

Lucas stood to go after Haley and I sighed.

"Luke… I'll go talk to her."

With great effort I stood and made Lucas sit back down in his seat next to Savannah on the floor.

"I'll talk to her." I assured him and headed upstairs.

The walls around me were spinning but somehow I managed to find my way to the only room upstairs with a closed door. Since it wasn't actually locked, I opened the door and stumbled inside, finding Haley face down on the bed, shaking. She must have been crying.

"Hales?"

She looked up and glared again at me before sitting up.

"How could you? Why would you go along with such a ridiculous game and then accuse me in front of all those people of sleeping with Chris? I already told you a thousand times that nothing happened between me and Chris."

"Except for the kiss… which you told me a thousand times didn't happen before you admitted it did." Even drunk I knew that my suspicions didn't go unfounded. She had lied to me about him once before. What would stop her now?

"I love you Nathan! The kiss with Chris was wrong and I knew that before I went on tour. I knew it when it happened which is why it didn't happen again. It was a mistake and I've said I'm sorry. What more can I do?" She was crying again.

My head started pounding and all I wanted to do at that moment was stop fighting with her. I was too drunk and this was too much to handle right now. I just kept telling myself that it was our last night together and then I'd be gone, for two whole months.

"Come here." I motioned to her to join me where I was standing, leaning against the wall.

Her tears stopped flowing and she stood, cautiously. Her steps were small and she slowly moved towards me, stopping just inches in front of me.

"I leave for High Flyers in the morning." I said simply, "Let's just forget about everything tonight and have some fun ok?"

"I'm not going back down there." She insisted immediately.

"I didn't say we had to go back down there." One of my arms instinctively reached out for her and pulled her close, pressing her tiny body up against mine, "We can have fun right here."

We kissed easily, as if we had never stopped kissing. Somehow we found our way to the bed, although how I did it without tripping, I'll never know. She felt too good to pass up, no matter how mad I still was at her. No matter how much she had hurt me. Underneath me and in my arms, Haley fit. We fit together perfectly and for the night, that was all that mattered.

I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, trying to find my cell phone which had been discarded with my pants. If it was after 9 am, I was in big trouble.

As I searched for the phone, Haley only stirring slightly when I crept from the bed, I remembered everything that had happened the night before. I guess I had lied when I told Haley I wouldn't remember what she said. I hadn't been drunk enough to forget. The events were very vivid in my mind and, as much as it bothered me to know, in my heart. I loved Haley more than anything and after I got back from High Flyers, I fully intended on making things right between us.

My cell phone was still in my pants pocket as I slid them on quietly. The time was 8:35, thank god, and I quickly grabbed the rest of my things before leaving the room silently.

"Good morning Casanova." Savannah greeted me in the kitchen, disturbingly as beautiful at 8:30 in the morning as she was during the rest of the day, "How'd you sleep?"

She didn't even have to ask me before she handed me a glass of water and two ibuprofen for my hangover. She leaned against the counter, grinning at me while I took them.

"I slept good." I smiled back at her, "Once I finally went to sleep."

"Dirty boy." She teased, turning away from me to open the refrigerator, "I felt bad about saying that to her last night, until you just told me that. At least me being rude got you guys to make up."

"Well, for the time being anyway. I'm headed out for the next two months and we'll see how things go when I get back."

"No contact while you're gone? You can call and write to her at least."

I finished the rest of my water and set the glass in the sink as Savannah prepared to make herself what appeared to be an omelet.

"I'm going to High Flyers to clear my head. To concentrate solely on basketball. Calling and writing to Haley would distract me and that's not a good thing. I'll just see her when I get back."

"Well…" Savannah paused what she was doing and put her hands on her hips, looking over at me, "Tell me that you at least said goodbye to her this morning."

"She was sleeping." I smiled as Savannah groaned in apparent pain, "Tell her when she wakes up for me ok? And give her a kiss for me too. That's an image I'd like to have for the road."

"You'd have to kiss me for me to pass it on." She played right along and smiled coyly at me.

"I'll pass." I grabbed a bottle of water from the counter for the road and turned to walk away, "See you in two months."

"Bye…"

The trip to High Flyers basketball camp was thankfully not that long, as I swore that I would drive myself crazy with my thoughts if left alone with them for too much longer. Once I was at the camp though, everything else drifted away. I meant it when I told Savannah I was here to concentrate solely on basketball. That was exactly what I would do.


	5. Chapter 4: Last Night

**Chapter Four**

_**Last Night…**_

**Lucas POV**

I woke up in a strange bed, in a strange room, in a strange house. I knew where I was almost immediately and yet, it felt… strange. Since I hadn't gotten a good look at the room the night before when I had entered I took my time looking around, taking in the artwork lining all four walls. Each piece was centered around a specific sexual position which would normally be considered porn, except the artist seemed to make it sensual. The paintings were alluring.

On the nightstand to my right were several pictures, all of Savannah with who I could only assume were various family members and friends. Her and a blonde girl, both wearing close to nothing, ass side facing the camera. Her and a guy maybe a few years older, in France, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. There was one of her in her basketball uniform and one of the same blonde girl from the first picture in a cheerleading uniform. These were clearly the people that meant the most to her or she wouldn't put pictures of them on her nightstand.

"I could definitely get used to the view from back here." I suddenly heard Savannah from behind me and I realized that the sheets had slipped revealing me, still naked, in her bed.

I quickly covered up.

"Well now, why cover up? Did you forget so soon? I saw it all last night." She grinned and came further into the room revealing that she wore only a short terrycloth robe and fuzzy slippers.

I know that I blushed when she said it.

"I'm just kidding Luke." She continued to smile as she towel dried her hair in front of the large mirror over her dresser, "I mean, I did see it all last night, but you don't need to be embarrassed. I won't look if you want to go ahead and get dressed. Or you can go take a shower or whatever it is you usually do in the mornings."

"I usually go jogging in the mornings." I replied casually.

"Well, in that case you should definitely get dressed first." She turned around, leaning back against the dresser and smiling at me the whole time, "There's coffee and breakfast downstairs. Only Skillz, Fergie, and Junk were awake when I came up here to get my shower. I think that they heard Nate and I talking this morning before he left for High Flyers and we woke them up. Anyway, they're eating. Everyone is welcome to stay as long as they like but I have to head out. I got a call from my brother this morning and he's going to be coming into town tonight so I need to go get a few other things from the store."

"Mind if I join you?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself and her smile widened.

"I would be thrilled if you came with me. I'm gonna go in my closet and get dressed. You can get dressed out here and I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes ok?"

I nodded and then she disappeared into her closet.

Last night had been one hell of a night. It started out innocently enough. We were all watching a movie and only a few of us were drinking. But as Skillz mixed up new concoctions he got each of us to try them and by the end of the movie, all of us but Mouth, Erika, Haley, and Peyton were drunk, and even Peyton was a little intoxicated.

Truth or Dare began and even before the first dare, I knew it was a bad idea. Fergie dared Skillz to chug an entire glass of whatever he had in front of him which Skillz of course did. Moments later he was throwing up everything he had eaten in the past 24 hours. Peyton picked up the questioning and asked Erika, 'Truth or Dare.' We all like Erika, but she's not too daring. She picked truth and Peyton lamely asked her if she had ever had sex. The answer was no.

Innocent questioning continued until the fateful 'Truth or Dare' from Savannah to Haley. The blow up that followed and subsequently Nathan and Haley both disappearing upstairs meant two things. One, we were now down two players for the game and two, they were 'making up' upstairs. The idea alone made me want to join Skillz in the bathroom. He was my brother and she was my best friend. The idea of them doing… that, would never cease to disgust me.

Once we all calmed down from the blow up, Erika took the initiative to resume questioning and after a couple rounds, it came to me.

"Lucas, truth or dare."

I had answered my fair share of 'How many times have you been in love?' and 'Who's hotter? Peyton, Erika, or Savannah?' It was dare time.

I should have known better, especially a dare coming from the newly rejuvenated Skillz. But I took it and immediately regretted it.

"Take Savannah into the kitchen and tell her three things you think will make her hot. If you come back without a kiss, you have to streak outside. If you get the kiss, I give her free reign on what to do with you."

Savannah was openly drunk and before I could even agree, she was dragging me into the kitchen.

"You can either tell me three things and then I'll kiss you or I can just kiss you now and we can get straight to me having free reign. However you want to do this." She announced as soon as we were in the kitchen.

The girl didn't miss a beat. She was straightforward and definitely not afraid to be assertive.

I must have thought about it too long because the next thing I knew she was kissing me, her tongue slipping in without me even noticing. We must have been kissing for awhile too because Skillz came to find us after that but Savannah told him to play without us. She now had free reign.

I didn't object to anything. I will say that I honestly enjoyed every minute of her having free reign. We went to her room and the rest as they say is history. The sun was rising before we fell asleep.

"Lucas, you were supposed to be getting dressed and meeting me downstairs." Savannah came out of her closet completely clothed, with her hands on her hips.

"Right." Without even thinking that she was seeing me naked, I hopped out of bed and grabbed my clothes from the floor, ready to get dressed.

From the corner of my eye I saw her grinning, watching my every move.

"What were you thinking about that had you so distracted that you didn't get dressed yet?" She teased me as she headed for the bathroom, "And if you need to brush your teeth, which you do because I kissed you this morning, there's an extra toothbrush in here."

I ignored her distraction question and headed for the bathroom, grabbing the unopened toothbrush and smiling at her while she brushed her own teeth.

"You're just brushing your teeth. Maybe it was your breath that smelled and not mine."

She laughed, spitting toothpaste into the sink.

"This is the second time I brushed my teeth sweetie. The first time was before I kissed you and then went downstairs to cook myself breakfast."

"And I just have to trust you on that one?" I gave her a skeptical look as she continued to brush her teeth and she nodded, spitting one more time and then rinsing her mouth.

I had just finished opening my toothbrush when she leaned over and kissed me softly.

"Yep, definitely your breath."

She stepped away from me and moved to the other side of the sink to brush her hair while I laughed at her.

My teeth didn't take long to brush and I used the extra time to watch her while she figured out something to do with her long brunette locks. It also gave me a little bit of time to contemplate this girl I had just met the day before.

Savannah definitely intrigued me in a way I had never been intrigued before. She was completely unknown to me other than how she kissed and how she felt in my arms the night before. I really knew nothing about her, yet I wanted to know more. And I wanted to continue to kiss her and hold her in my arms, which bothered me. Only a few weeks before Savannah had walked into my life I had declared my love to Brooke. I couldn't just stop feeling that way when a new girl walked into my life, could I?

"Quit staring at me. You're gonna make me self conscious." Savannah declared, finally pulling her hair into a loose ponytail and adding a pair of sparkly silver earrings, "You ready?"

"Yeah."

We headed downstairs together, surprisingly in a comfortable silence. I couldn't think of another girl who I could have slept with the night before and yet conversed with so easily the next morning, especially when I hadn't even know her for 24 hours yet.

"Good morning newfound friends." Savannah greeted the group sitting in the living room, eating their food while watching morning cartoons.

Everyone was there. Haley and Peyton sat together, both munching on toast. Erika wasn't eating but slowly sipping on some water while she lay curled up next to Mouth who was eating a bowl of cereal. Junk, Skillz, and Fergie weren't eating but I was sure they had already. All three were completely engrossed in the cartoons.

"Oh, before I forget, Haley, Nate told me to tell you that he said goodbye and he'll see you in two months. He didn't want to wake you this morning. He also told me to kiss you for him but on so many levels, I felt that would be wrong." Savannah grinned as Haley slightly choked on her toast, "And I'm really sorry for what I said last night because it upset you but I have a feeling it did more good than bad and I hope that you had fun after you disappeared."

Luckily Haley couldn't choke this time because she had nothing in her mouth.

"Lucas, dare I say that you seem to have an almost… after sex glow about you." Peyton turned the teasing to me suddenly and all sets of eyes were immediately on me.

"Uhh…" I didn't know what to say.

"Luckily his breath didn't smell last night like it did this morning." Savannah took the attention from me and quickly set a small kiss on my lips, "We are going to go to the store because I need a few things before my brother comes into town tonight. You are all welcome to stay as long as you want. There's plenty of food and entertainment. If you all do leave before I get back though, the last one out, please lock the door. I'm leaving a key right here."

She placed a spare key on the end table nearest us and waved as she took my hand and pulled me from the room.

"See you guys." I said quickly before we disappeared out the front door.

With a click of a button her silver car came to life and she slipped into the drivers seat easily. I got into the passenger seat while in awe of the car itself. A Lexus IS 350 was probably about a $30,000 car all on it's own but she had every upgrade imaginable, GPS navigation and leather seats included.

"Nice car." I had to comment.

"Thanks." She put it into gear and pulled out of the driveway, onto the street, "I wanted a Range Rover because it's easier to use for big groups and hauling around sports equipment and stuff but since Daddy had just bought one for Xander, he said that he thought I should start out a bit smaller. So I got this and I love it."

"Xander is your brother?"

She nodded and pulled out onto the main road.

"Hey, so where's the nearest art supply store?"

"Uh…" I had no clue, "You're asking the wrong person. Peyton's the artist. I don't know where she gets her supplies though."

"Peyton's an artist?" Savannah glanced at me as if she was surprised, "That's awesome. I never would have guessed her for it though. I figured she'd be a cheerleader."

"She is."

Savannah laughed loudly.

"Oh, I get it. The brooding artist cheerleader thing. I had a friend like that once. Well, not an artist, but she looked the cheer part, just didn't act it outside of school. She was way into drugs and hard rock. Went to rehab like… 7 months ago and never came back. I heard she's in an asylum now."

"Weird." There weren't really any other words for that story.

"I'm gonna try the mall. Think there will be an art supply store there?"

"Probably." I thought about it for a second and remembered there was, "Yeah, actually I know there is."

"Awesome." Savannah made a quick right hand turn and headed for the mall, "Xander just graduated from art school in France so I wanted to get him some stuff. That and I officially have to buy new sheets for all the beds because I have no clue which one he's gonna want to sleep in and/or who did what in which bed last night."

I laughed a little and then we were silent for a few minutes.

"So um… about last night." Savannah started slowly, "I don't like… usually do stuff like that."

"Me either." I blurted out.

"Right… so, neither one of us is usually like that and we'll just… chalk it up to being drunk. But just so we're clear, I had a good time. I'm not saying it was a mistake cause I don't think it was. It was fun and… without totally sounding like a slut, if you wanna do it again, I'm up for it."

That was the last thing I had expected to come out of her mouth. It shocked me into a state of speechlessness.

"Lucas…" Savannah glanced over at me with a frown, "Luke, say something."

"I just wasn't expecting that." My mind went to Brooke, the day that she left for California and what I had told her. She hadn't said a word then and I still had yet to hear from her. Maybe I could at least occupy my time with Savannah.

"Well, don't feel pressured Luke. If you don't want to…"

"I want to." I turned to look at her quickly and smiled when she smiled at me, "Believe me, I want to."

She laughed quietly as we pulled into the mall parking lot and parked the car. She got out first and waited for me before we headed inside together.

"So where's this art store? You have to live up to Nate's tour guide status."

This time I laughed.

"Yeah, exactly how did he become your tour guide yesterday anyway?" I asked, steering her in the right direction.

"I went to get coffee downtown and his mom was talking to me when he came in and she asked him if he would show me where the furniture store was. He agreed and we just hit it off. I don't know. He was telling me about his family and I kinda told him about mine. We both come from screwed up backgrounds. We found common ground."

"He told you about Dan and our mothers?"

"Yep, and how you guys hated each other for the longest time. And he told me about Haley and how she was your best friend which is why he went for her but then he fell in love. How he emancipated himself and married Haley before you left to move to Charleston. And how she left him…"

"All this in the first day you met?"

"We were comparing screwed up families." She smiled at me and shrugged, "He won by the way."

"Yeah? How screwed up is your family?"

"Um… well, my mom and dad don't live in the same city but they're still married. My mom lives in Spain with her guy on the side and their five kids. My dad focuses on his work in Beverly Hills and New York. My brother and sister are twins. Mariah lives in Italy and she's going to culinary school there. Xander just graduated from art school in France but you knew that. Xander and I don't really like Mariah. She's a bitch. That's my family basically. Well, there's more but if I told you that part, I'd have to kill you."

She looked serious and I almost wondered if she was, but then she laughed.

"I told you that I got kicked out of school right?"

"I think I heard that somewhere. What for?"

"Marijuana possession." She was laughing again as we finally reached the art store and went inside, "My ex-boyfriend's new pregnant wife who he cheated on me with and then married framed me and put it in my locker. I got permanently banned from playing AAA basketball and they let me finish the school year but I wasn't allowed back."

"I don't know Savannah, I think you're family almost rivals mine in the race to the most screwed up."

"Oh no." She picked up some art supplies and continued looking around, "Yours, and the drama that no doubt goes along with all of it, is by far more screwed up. No comparison and boy, let me tell you that I am glad I'm not part of it."

"Yet." I stated simply.

"What do you mean yet?" Her head snapped around to look at me and she raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"You live in Tree Hill and you're friends with Nathan and I. You'll get involved, I guarantee it, even if we're not trying to get you involved."

She sighed.

"You're probably right. Oh well, small price to pay for friends."

I smiled as I watched her pick up some more supplies.

"You need me to carry something?"

"Yes thank you." She plopped everything she was holding into my arms and continued to shop.

Shopping with Savannah was interesting to say the least. She saw something she liked, she picked it up and bought it. It didn't matter the cost. She reminded me of what a Barbie would be like if they were real people. She had whatever she wanted and she looked gorgeous all the time.

"Has anyone ever told you that you remind them of a Barbie?"

Savannah didn't even hesitate as she began to laugh loudly. Walking past the mall carousel, she turned and stopped.

"A Barbie?"

"You can have whatever you want and you're gorgeous. You're Barbie." I defended myself, coming to a stop next to her.

"Barbie is 5'6, blonde, and if she were real, her boobs would make her fall on her face." Savannah grinned, "I'm 5'9, brunette, and my boobs are in perfect proportion to my body. I am not Barbie… but I thank you for calling me gorgeous. It's a nice boost to my ego."

"As if your ego needed a boost." I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her along the next wing of the mall with me, "What's next Barbie?"

"We need bedding for all the beds in the house. Then we're done." She didn't even bother to comment on the Barbie comment as she rolled her eyes, "I'm starving. We should eat when we're done."

"We can do that." I smiled at her and we headed for the nearest department store.

The thing I found out about Savannah was that she didn't just buy what she needed. I understood the need for new sheets for all the beds in the house, but she didn't buy just that. She bought entire decorative sets for each bed. For one room there was zebra print and dark colors. Another got blues of all different hues. The third was covered in red-orange, purple, and khaki checkers set off with black leather throw pillows. Xander's room got bright blue and turquoise on burgundy sheets and finally her room, the sheets she assured me I would enjoy, was perfectly red, complete with curtains to hang from her four poster bed.

"All is done." Savannah signed the credit card receipt and smiled at the Dillard's shopping cart piled high with purchases, "Let's eat."

We chose to eat at a deli nearby since we wouldn't have to go out of the way to get there. Even though I was hungry, I found myself watching her eat instead of eating myself. A girl like her, toned and in great shape, you would expect to eat slightly less enthusiastically then say… a hungry lion. She devoured her food. It seemed more and more like everything she did surprised me. I couldn't wait to get to know her even better.

"So what is it that your mom is in New Zealand for again?" Savannah asked between massive bites of her sandwich.

"She uh… went to see her boyfriend." I replied, finally taking a bite of my own sandwich. I had to quit focusing on the way she ate or else she'd be done before I even started.

"Boyfriend huh? Why didn't she take you with her? It sounds like you guys are pretty close. I can't imagine her wanting to leave you alone for a whole summer."

"Well, she didn't, but we couldn't afford two plane tickets." I admitted, suddenly feeling slightly inadequate.

"Oh." Savannah didn't seem to care that I had less money than she did, "We should go visit her. My brother has a private jet so it wouldn't cost anything. Maybe in a couple weeks."

"Your brother has a private jet?" I was stunned to say the least, "How? I mean, not that it's impossible but… he just graduated from art school. How do you have enough money after JUST graduating from art school to afford a private jet?"

She smiled, not offended at all by my questioning, although I realized she could have very easily been, had she been anyone other than her.

"My Abuelo gave it to him as a high school graduation present." Savannah shrugged, "And Xander's been selling his art since he was 16. He's made a good amount of money from that."

"Oh." I was left speechless once again by how easy everything came to her and her family.

"Luke, I know just from what you and Nathan have told me that your family has had it tough. And I know that it seems like my family has everything. I've heard it a million times. I've had several guys who wanted to be with me because of the money my family has. I don't want this to be like that and I don't think you'd make it like that… but if it makes you uncomfortable that we have money…"

"No." I objected before she could go any further with that speech, "No. That is not it all. I'm just curious because honestly I've never been around this kind of wealth before and I'm not really sure how to act. It doesn't bother me and it's definitely not why I want to be around you, it just keeps catching me by surprise."

Savannah smiled and nodded slowly, sort of gauging what I was saying and the truth in it.

"My parents were each individually wealthy before they got married as were each set of my grandparents and great-grandparents back through my lineage as far as it can be traced. Money's something we've never really even considered so… I know I say things about it like it's nothing and it might be different for you so if I do ever make you feel uncomfortable, just say so."

That was easy enough.

"I can do that."

I smiled at her and we finished our meal in silence, sitting and sort of staring at each other until we realized that we should get back to the house before her brother showed up. It was already five o'clock in the afternoon.

"You're more than welcome to stay again tonight." Savannah offered as we got back into the car which was now overflowing with packages from the days shopping trip, "I think you'll like Xander."

I would probably take her up on that offer.


	6. Chapter 5: Meet Xander

**_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been replying. You rock soooo much. To Petra, whose reviews rock my sox, the answers to your questions are 1:No, sorry, no chapter of Nathan at High Flyers and 2:No, Xander doesn't really do the protective big brother thing... well, maybe later. You'll see what I mean, lol. This chapter is about Xander though and... Peyton. Again, you'll see. HAHA. Review some more guys! I love reading what you have to say!_**

**Chapter Five**

_**Meet Xander**_

**Peyton POV**

I couldn't really explain why I was still here. It wasn't like Savannah's house had more things to occupy more time or that it was nicer than my house. It was bigger but it was still lacking some things. The walls were bare which bothered the artist in me. Yet, I was still here, flipping through the channels on her TV in the living room.

Everyone else had left hours ago. Haley said that she had to run errands. Mouth and Erika actually had a date planned. The guys from the Rivercourt were of course gonna go play basketball, which is what they were always doing. Most of them had parents to check in with after all. There was just honestly nothing for me to leave for.

Since the beginning of the summer there had been just Lucas and I. He was always around to help me through what I was going through. He was by my side every second. We were just… together all the time. Today, he had left with Savannah, not even a second thought as to what I would do. It sort of bothered me, but then I wasn't sure why. I definitely didn't have feelings for Luke anymore, not with the train wreck we had been through last time. I just relied on him. I relied on him to be by my side. And now he wasn't.

Around 4 I noticed a car pull into the driveway. It was a car that I didn't recognize and immediately I panicked. What was I gonna do? How would I explain why I was here? Who was it?

I quit panicking when the driver stepped out of the car.

He couldn't have been more than 23 and yet he looked so polished, stepping out in a black pin stripe suit, shiny metallic tie hanging around his neck. He was bald, but surprisingly it looked amazing on him. He turned towards the house and my eyes met with his baby blue ones. I felt like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I was definitely staring.

Without thinking that he had already seen me and therefore knew that I hadn't been watching TV the whole time, I fell back onto the couch and resumed watching TV, pretending I hadn't even noticed him.

"Um… hi." He had entered the house quickly and now stood at the entrance to the living room, staring at me.

"Hi." I stood up and walked over to him as bravely as I possibly could, "I'm Peyton. You must be Savannah's brother."

"Xander." He raised an eyebrow at me inquisitively and all I could do was stare at him, "Is my sister here?"

"She went shopping with Lucas." I blurted before realizing he would have no idea who Lucas was either, "We um… we all met your sister yesterday and had like a sleepover party thing here last night and then she and Lucas went shopping this morning and she said I could stay as long as I wanted so I did and… I think she was planning on being back by now."

He smiled and I noticed how gorgeous his smile was. Then I cursed myself for noticing how gorgeous his smile was. I shouldn't even be thinking things like that. I loved Jake.

"So then Peyton… my sister's not here and you are cause you slept over last night. Think you know the house well enough to give me a tour?"

"Um…" A tour of his sister's house? That might be weird. "I guess so."

"Alright." Xander nodded and then waited.

I was still silent and staring at him yet again when I realized he was waiting for me to start the tour.

"Right, tour." I led him into the living room, "This is the living room. Um, TV and DVD player… The dining room is right over here, but Savannah put a pool table there instead of a dining room table cause she said she doesn't think she'll ever use a dining room table. Through here is the kitchen and um… that's the door to outside. There's a pool and hot tub out there."

Xander opened the door to the backyard and stepped outside before I could say anything else. I followed him out of sheer curiosity.

"Wow, the parents really went all out." He commented as he looked around and then looked directly at me, "Been swimming yet?"

I was completely caught of guard and left standing there with my mouth hanging open no doubt.

"Uh… no. I didn't know the house had a pool or that I'd be staying so long so I didn't bring a bathing suit."

"Who needs a suit?" He smiled coyly at me and I felt my cheeks turn a bright shade of crimson, "Show me the rest of the house yeah?"

I knew I was supposed to be giving the tour, but he headed into the house first and I was left following him upstairs.

"Do you know which room is which?" He asked, looking around at all the doors.

"Well, that one is Savannah's." I pointed to the room where I knew she and Luke and slept the night before, "The rest are kinda up for grabs I guess. I slept in here last night."

I showed him the room where I had stayed the night before. Luckily I had made the bed before I had left it that morning. It looked just like it had when I had entered the night before.

"Yeah?" He looked around the room and nodded, taking in the minimal decorations and dark wood furniture, "You staying again tonight?"

"I uh, don't think so." I hadn't even thought of it until that moment.

"Too bad. I think I'll take this room for mine though. It's nice."

He walked out before I could say a word, not that it was evenly humanly possible at that moment for me to talk since my mouth had gone dry when he was talking. I closed the door to the bedroom and went back downstairs, finding him in the kitchen.

I watched him open and close the refrigerator a couple of times. He seemed to be looking for something that wasn't there. Finally, when he opened it the third time, I couldn't take it anymore and I got the courage to say something.

"Are you looking for something?"

He smiled and closed the door again, looking over at me and shaking his head.

"I was just trying to see how long it would take you to talk to me." He leaned against the counter and watched me, "How old are you?"

"17." This guy was intriguing me now.

He wasn't cocky or arrogant so much as he was clearly confident. He knew how to handle himself and clearly he knew just how to make a girl swoon. He was hot and I knew he knew it, but that didn't bother me. What bothered me was that he seemed to think I was hot.

"Ouch." Xander cringed when I told him my age, "I should have figured as much. You're the same age as Savannah."

"Is that a problem?"

I said it before I realized that I sounded interested. I almost sounded as if I was teasing him and… flirting. Oops, that was definitely not a good idea. My mind again went to Jake and I walked out of the kitchen before Xander could reply.

"Uh, Peyton?" Xander followed me to the living room and sat on the couch when I did, "It's not nice to ask a question and then walk away before a man can answer."

I turned to look it him, trying my best to seem disinterested.

"The answer is no by the way." He smiled at me again, something I was beginning to get used to seeing, "Your age is only a problem if we let it be."

"Are you hitting on me?" I asked matter-of-factly, obviously catching him off guard.

"Um… yeah." He cocked his head to the side and stared back at me, neither one of us looking away for even a second, "Is that a problem?"

Was it? I wasn't really sure. Jake had only left a few weeks ago. Three weeks ago, it definitely would have been a problem. I wouldn't have even given Xander the time of day, let alone flirt. But now, here I was flirting. Sitting here on the couch letting him hit on me and liking it. I couldn't be over Jake already. Not with everything that had happened.

"Yeah." I answered finally and watched his amused expression turn to one of confusion instead, "I just broke up with my boyfriend."

Why I told him that, I wasn't sure. It's not like I knew him well enough to owe him an explanation. I had just met this guy. I didn't owe him any sort of explanation and yet, I felt like I did.

"Right…" He nodded and turned towards the TV.

The silence after that was deafening. I felt like I had said the wrong thing and yet, all I had done was let him know I wasn't interested. Then again, I was interested, I just couldn't be. I couldn't let myself be interested. He was older and he was Savannah's brother and he wasn't Jake.

"Just cause I'm curious…" Xander finally spoke, reaching over and turning off the TV before facing me, "If you just broke up with your boyfriend, why is that a problem? It means you're single right?"

I sighed. I knew I shouldn't have opened my mouth. Hell, I should have just left this place earlier, before this gorgeous man had showed up.

"Yes, I'm single. But Jake and I…"

"Jake, the ex?"

"Yes." I nodded, "Jake and I were complicated and we didn't split up by choice. He had to leave town."

"Oh, so you don't do long distance relationships?"

Who did he think he was? None of this was any of his business. He had just met me!

"I would have done the long distance relationship. He's just… dealing with some stuff right now. Why are you asking me these things?"

Xander looked straight into my eyes and I felt as if he were trying to penetrate my soul with his eyes.

"Because you're beautiful, and I never let the opportunity to get to know a beautiful girl better slip away."

Damn, he was definitely a smooth talker. I could feel myself melting under his gaze.

"How old are you Xander?"

This time I caught him off guard and he adjusted his position on the couch before answering.

"21."

"And you're single then?"

It was my turn to ask the questions and he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of it. I could see the recognition in his eyes.

"Currently." He replied, "I just graduated art school in France. My previous girlfriend moved to Bejing to continue her studies. I don't do the long distance relationship thing so I broke up with her. I thought I'd come see my sister and see this new place where she'll be living. Lucky for me, I got to meet you as a bonus for this trip."

He was so confident it almost made me want to puke.

"You don't need to keep the act up Xander. You're hot. You know it and I know it. You're suave and very cultured. You know exactly what to say to get me the most interested. Now cut the crap. Who are you really?"

He hesitated in answering, studying my face. I'm sure it wasn't everyday that a girl called him out.

"You have a definite edge and I like that so for you, I will answer that crap question."

"Crap question?" I was almost offended.

"Yes crap question. Who asks you to tell them who you 'really' are? I've been me since I walked through the door Peyton but, like I said, for you I will answer the question. I am Xander Nicodemus Carter. My name is Greek, if you're wondering and don't ask me why because neither of my parents are Greek. I'm an artist. Always have been for as long as I can remember. I sketch mostly but I like oils too. I did a lot of paintings for Savannah that are kind of graphic but they are my most prized work which is why I chose not to sell them and instead give them to my favorite sister. I have a twin but I don't like her. She's the evil one. I'm thinking of moving to Spain and taking over the family business but if it would inhibit my art, I think I'll pass. I dated a girl in high school that I thought I was going to marry but clearly, didn't. I've lived in France for the last 3 years and I hate it there, honestly don't ever want to go back. I have a thing for blondes with curly hair and hazel eyes who spy on me through my sister's window and ask me stupid questions. Anything else you wanna know?"

Wow. I wasn't expecting that and he knew it. He watched me while I digested it all.

"Is there anything else I should know?" I replied, still reeling from his last answer.

"You should probably know that you're actually the first blonde with hazel eyes to spy on me from my sisters window so I'm not actually sure if I have a thing for all blondes with hazel eyes that spy on me from my sisters window but you definitely intrigue me."

I had nothing to say to that. I sat in one spot and didn't move. I stared at him and took all of him in, digesting his looks and his attitude and his answer to my 'crap' question. He said I intrigued him but he had no clue how much he was intriguing me at that very moment. He was unlike anyone I had ever know and I doubt I would know anyone like him ever again. He amazed me and I found myself wanting to know more.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him.

"Yes." He smiled sweetly at me.

"Wanna go get something to eat?"

"Yes."

I found myself sitting across from Xander in a small restaurant that I had surprisingly not known existed. We were pretty quiet, still reeling from the conversation at the house. It was weird to me that I could get along with someone like I was with Xander even though I hadn't even known him an hour. Inside I was still fighting the attraction, but I could only deny it for so long. I knew I would eventually have to give in.

"How long are you planning on staying in town?" I finally broke the silence.

"I don't know." Xander admitted, "Maybe just a few days. Maybe longer. It really depends on how much I'm needed in Spain. How much has Savannah told you about our family?"

"Nothing actually. We hung out last night but mostly we were all drunk."

Xander smiled.

"That's my sister for you. Break the ice and make new friends with alcohol." He sighed, "Our grandfather's pretty sick. I'm in line to take over the family business so… I might have to go sooner rather than later."

"I'm sorry to hear that." It seemed like the right thing to say, "What's the family business? Something you might actually like to do?"

"Not really. It's not my cup of tea so to speak but it's my duty so I'll do it. At least it gives me something to do with my time."

He had avoided the 'what is it' part of the question very expertly and I didn't want to push it given our previous experience with the questions I asked.

"So then your family is Spanish?"

"Um, yeah. My mom lives in Spain for the most part with my grandparents and that side of the family. My dad is French-American. His parents live in the South of France but we've never really known them. They didn't approve of my parents marriage so they kind of cut off contact with my dad."

"So your French and Spanish… interesting." I smiled at him.

"Yeah, not that interesting." Xander laughed, "People say I actually look more French than Spanish while Mariah looks more Spanish then French. Savannah was the perfect blend."

I laughed.

"I think she looks very Spanish actually. She's got an exotic look all tanned and gorgeous."

"She's always been naturally beautiful. Mariah struggled with her looks for a long time. She was awkward for most of our teenage years but Savannah, she's always been so charismatic. I think that might actually be one of the reasons Mariah's so bitchy. Savannah had high school guys going for her when she was in junior high. She had college guys going for her when she started high school. She could get anything and everything she wants with the snap of her fingers. Mariah's jealous and always has been."

"Mariah is your twin I'm guessing."

"Right." Xander nodded, "Probably should have explained that first."

"No, no. I got it." I assured him, "I'm an only child so I don't really know what it's like to have sibling rivalry. I uh, just found out that I'm adopted actually. My birth mother showed up out of the blue and informed me who she was. It's a little crazy actually."

Again I found myself wondering why I had just shared something so personal with him.

"Wow, and your parents never told you?"

"Well, my mom died when I was 7. I don't know, I guess there was never a good time. My dad hasn't actually said anything to me about it yet. He's out at sea on a ship and he's coming home but it's taking a little while to get here. He said he'd explain everything then so really… I don't even have all the details yet."

"That must be tough." Xander seemed like he really sympathized with me, "What has your birth mother said? I mean, she told you who she was. Have you asked her anything else?"

"Honestly? I haven't wanted to talk to her at all." Saying it out loud to him made my reasoning seem very juvenile, "I figured that she couldn't have anything to say worth while that my dad couldn't tell me."

"Well she might." Xander said simply, "You could at least know why she gave you up. That's not something your dad can tell you. And… I don't wanna overstep my boundaries here. Just tell me if you want me to shut up."

For the first time since Ellie had shown up in my life, I was actually open to hearing someone else's opinion on the situation. I hadn't even wanted to hear it when I talked with Lucas. It was weird that I would want to hear Xander's opinion when I barely knew him. Or maybe that was the appeal. He had an outsiders look at the situation.

"I actually don't mind. What do you think?"

"You should talk to her. Definitely hear her out because she clearly felt that now was a crucial time for her to seek you out. Did she tell you what she wanted?"

"No. I didn't give her a chance." I admitted.

"Well, if you decide you do want to talk to her… just let me know. Even if I'm already in Spain, I'd be more than happy to give you moral support."

It was more than a generous offer coming from a practical stranger and yet it didn't feel weird coming from Xander. I felt like we were connecting on a level that I couldn't even understand. I felt like I had known him forever.

"Thanks Xander. I may just take you up on that."

"I hope you do."

We finished our meal in silence, realizing when we were done that we had been out of the house for over 2 hours and that by now, Savannah was definitely going to be home and wondering where he was.

He paid for our dinner and we headed out to his Range Rover, getting in and buckling ourselves up. We were both quiet again, leaving the car ride filled with only the sounds of the radio. I'd comment later about his lack of musical taste.

When we pulled up to the house, sure enough, Savannah's car sat in the driveway. I wondered if she and Lucas were inside, watching us through the window like I had watched Xander earlier, but I didn't really care if they were. Xander looked over at me and grinned.

"I had a really good time with you." He said simply.

I had to agree.


	7. Chapter 6: My Brother Before All

**A/N: Thanks Petra again for your wonderful review and to satisfy your curiosity, and maybe the curiosity of others also, Xander is "played by" Channing Tatum who was in the movie Coach Carter. He's mostly been a model but he's starting to get into acting now too. He's also in the upcoming movie Supercross with Sophia Bush. Also, if you want mental images for some of the other characters, Savannah is "played by" Adriana Lima who is a Victoria's Secret model and her California best friend Camille is Karolina Kurkova, also a VS model. Anyway, if you have any more questions, just let me know. :)**

**Chapter Six**

_**My Brother Before All**_

**Savannah POV**

Lucas and I had come home to an empty house, which puzzled me, because I thought Xander would have been in town by now. Nevertheless, Lucas and I had taken the time to change all the sheets in the house, redecorating some of the rooms with the new art and decorations that we had bought during the day.

I was enjoying my time with Lucas more and more as each minute passed. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was that I liked about him, but we got along very easily. He didn't hesitate to steal a kiss here and there and neither did I which made decorating almost intimate. I knew that if I wasn't careful I would fall for him too easily, but I couldn't make myself hold back. I wanted to let him into every part of my life and that bothered me more than I would ever tell anyone.

Once we were done with all the decorating and we had nothing else to do but sit and watch TV, I found myself wishing more and more that my brother would hurry and get here. I had so much to talk to him about. I needed his advice about Lucas and what I was supposed to do. He knew better than anyone how badly Jackson had hurt me. He would be able to help me figure out if giving my heart to Lucas would be worth it. I couldn't even believe that I was considering it.

"You ok?" Lucas asked me, his arm draped over my shoulder as we cuddled on the couch.

"Yeah." I nodded, "He just should have been here by now."

As if on cue, I saw headlights in the driveway and I jumped up, peering through the front window. I saw his Range Rover and then noticed he wasn't alone. He was with…

"Is it just me or does that girl look like Peyton?" Lucas asked as he crept up behind me.

"It is Peyton." I frowned, unsure as to why and how Peyton and Xander were together in the car right now.

I turned to look at Lucas and he was frowning too.

"Shall we go outside and see what's going on?" I asked him.

He nodded and we headed for the door.

"Xander!" As soon as he was out of the car I ran to him, jumping up into his arms and holding on tight.

He hugged me close spinning me around in the air. I could sense his smile. I felt content and yet, I was still wondering what he was doing with Peyton.

"Took you long enough." I smacked him playfully when he set me down, "I see you met Peyton?"

"She was the only one home when I got here." Xander smiled over at her and she smiled back, "We hit it off."

Lucas and I exchanged a curious look and then I moved to help Xander with his luggage. Lucas beat me to it and I almost had to praise him for his chivalry.

While the guys grabbed the suitcases, I decided to grab Peyton and head for the house.

"So… my brother?" She looked at me and sighed, "It's not a big deal Peyton. I'm not upset I'm just confused. And… you should know that he's a lot older than us."

"I know." Peyton smiled, "He's 21. He told me all about himself and a lot about you too actually. We went to dinner and don't worry Savannah. I'll admit I'm attracted to your brother, but I'm still coming off a pretty bad breakup and I'm not ready for something new. Besides, he doesn't do the long distance relationship thing and he's headed for Spain soon."

"What?" Headed for Spain? That was news to me, "Xander?"

He joined us in the living room shortly, a quizzical eyebrow raised in my direction.

"Yes sister?"

"You're going to Spain?"

"Oops." Xander cringed, "I guess I should have mentioned that she didn't know yet Peyton."

"Sorry." Peyton semi-hid in embarrassment.

"No, it's fine but what are you going to Spain for?" I didn't want Peyton to be embarrassed. There was no reason for that. I was just curious. His plan had always been to decline the head of the family business and the only reason he could be headed to Spain is to take over.

"Can we talk about that later?" Xander asked, a look on his face that clearly meant it was something we needed to talk about alone.

Obviously he hadn't told Peyton everything about himself in the time they had spent together.

"Sure." I agreed only because I knew I would get nowhere as long as he didn't want to talk about it, "Come sit down. Tell me all about art school and France and just… everything. I haven't seen you since like… Christmas. Have you seen mom or daddy?"

Xander squeezed himself between Peyton and I on the couch, making us both move over a bit to give him room. Peyton chose to just stand up.

"Luke, why don't we go? Give them some time to hang out and catch up." She suggested.

"Peyton, you don't have to leave." I quickly assured her and Xander stood to be at her side.

"I know we don't have to." She smiled at both Xander and I, "But you guys haven't seen each other in awhile and we can go and let you guys catch up. If you get bored, just call me. We'll come back over. It's cool but otherwise, we can just see you tomorrow."

We all paused, no one sure of what to say. On one hand, I didn't want them to leave because they were uncomfortable. They were quickly becoming my friends and I didn't want that to change but on the other hand, alone time with my brother would be nice. There was only so much we could talk about in front of people we barely knew, friends or otherwise.

"We'll get out of here." Lucas said quietly, leaning over and kissing me softly, "Call me tomorrow."

Luckily I had gotten his number so that I could call him.

"Ok." I agreed and sighed as he stood and held out his arm to Peyton.

"It was nice meeting you Xander. See you around man."

"You too." Xander shook Lucas's hand and turned to Peyton, "Will I see you again?"

She grinned mischievously and shrugged.

"I guess we'll see."

As soon as Peyton and Lucas had left and Xander had returned to his spot next to me on the couch, I turned to face him and he did the same. I felt like it was gossip time for the cheerleaders which made me almost start laughing when I thought of it.

"You have a lot to fill me in on mister. Let's start with you going to Spain and we'll go from there."

Xander sighed but I could see the resignation that he knew he wasn't going to get out of this.

"Honestly Xan, why? I mean, you never had any interest in the business. Never. Where did this come from? And are you trying to kill me? Because the idea of you living with our mother in Spain and running the mafia is definitely going to kill me."

"It's not the mafia Savannah. It's an organized crime ring yes, but it's not the mafia and this title, being the leader, has been passed on from generation to generation in our family. If not me, then who? Our mother has no brothers so that's an entire generation that's skipped. I'm the oldest of the grandchildren. The next in line would be Orlando and he's only 16 Savannah. 16 is not old enough to take over an organization like this. There's no one else."

"Abuelo has like a million guys who work with him. Let one of them take over until Orlando is old enough. Seriously, I don't care about any of them and whether they're risking their lives. I don't care if Orlando is risking his life because no matter what our mother says, he is not my real brother. You are! I can't stand to think about you over there risking your life for something you don't even care about!"

I was a little irritated. Even as I talked I could see that his mind was already made up. He was going to do this. Our mother must have said something to him to get under his skin.

"You know my mind is already made up." He always had the ability to read my mind and I sighed in frustration.

"Yeah…" There was nothing I could say to change his mind and we both knew it, "Damn you. So when are you planning on going?"

"Probably within a week assuming that Abuelo doesn't die tomorrow. Mom says he's awfully close. He's not even conscious anymore. He's basically a vegetable."

"And here I thought I'd actually get to spend some time with you." It was a bummer to say the least but I knew I would have to accept it at some point, "So, tell me about art school."

This was a subject that I knew he would rather discuss and I would rather hear about. We sat for the next few hours discussing everything from art school to girls and what he thought of Peyton. It surprised me that he seemed to have such strong feelings for her so quickly, but then I remembered how Lucas and I had clicked. I didn't have the feelings for Lucas like I saw Xander expressing on his face, but I knew that I could very soon if I gave him half a chance.

"I don't know Savannah. She's… I can't even describe it. The very first second I saw her spying on me from the window, I wanted to know her better. She's beautiful and interesting. She's an artist. Did you know that?"

I nodded.

"She's an artist. She told me that I could see her work if I let her see mine."

"Should have taken her up to my room. I have everything hanging up."

"Yeah?" He seemed surprised, "I thought you would have left them in California."

"Hell no. There was no way I was leaving my favorite brother's art work behind in that house. No one even lives there on a regular basis. Who would appreciate it there?"

He laughed, throwing back his head in amusement.

"I guess you're right. I don't know. I just didn't expect it. I'm glad that you brought it though. At least someone loves me."

He pulled me over to sit next to him instead of facing him and squeezed me in a hug.

"I love you kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore Xan. I'll be 18 in a few months."

"I know." He sighed, letting his grip loosen so that I just lay comfortably on his shoulder, "You're growing up. We all are. I just… I remember when we were little and you used to run around the house in your diapers, your little curly pigtails flopping around in the air. You were so cute."

"I'm still cute." I insisted and he grinned.

"Yeah, you're still cute."

We sat in silence for a little bit and then I couldn't take it anymore. I had to try to talk him out of his new plan one more time.

"Are you sure that you want to take over the crime syndicate in Spain? You can always just move in here and open an art gallery with Peyton or something. I bet she'd love that."

He kissed my forehead and sighed.

"As nice as that sounds Savannah, my mind's made up. I'm moving to Spain."


	8. Chapter 7: Summer is Over

**A/N: This chapter took forever to write which is why it took a little longer to update. Sorry! Thanks to Petra whose reviews keep me going. Just a little heads up, the title of this chapter says it all. We're skipping some time for this one. Hope you all like it. :)**

**Chapter Seven**

_**Summer is Over…**_

**Savannah POV**

I never liked the feeling of waking up suddenly. You know that feeling of being surprised and groggy all at the same time? I've always hated that. Which was why being woken up very slowly by kisses was so much more my style. Lucas knew that. Lucas knew exactly how to wake me up.

"You're slobbering on my face." I mumbled jokingly against Lucas's lips as he kissed me in the morning light. It couldn't be later than nine o'clock and on normal days, waking me up this early would not be acceptable. Today however, he knew it would be.

"It's 8:45. Are you going to the airport with me or are we meeting up later?"

"We're gonna have to meet up later. I promised Peyton I'd go school clothes shopping with her."

Lucas sat back and I had to squint to focus my sleepy eyes. He was frowning.

"You promised Peyton or Peyton promised you? Last I checked you were more of a shopper than she was."

He knew me too well. Three months of dating and he knew me way too well.

"Ok, ok. Peyton promised me that we could go school clothes shopping and I had to make it today because my family will be here starting tomorrow. I thought that maybe we could meet up for dinner tonight. I'll cook and you can bring your mom here."

I knew I was going to have to meet Karen eventually. She was only going to stay in New Zealand for so long and even though we had planned on visiting her there, it had never happened because the summer had been so busy. Today she came home and I was finally going to meet my new boyfriend's mother.

"I will bring my mother over for dinner." Lucas easily agreed, "But please don't cook. I've tasted your food and well…"

I kicked at him through the covers and he jumped off the bed laughing.

"Whatever, I'll see you at 8."

I was pouting and I knew that he couldn't resist my pout. It had worked every time I wanted to get my way since we had started dating.

"See you at 8." He leaned over and kissed me one more time, slowly and sensually, making me want to pull him into the bed instead of let him go to the airport. Unfortunately, he was probably already late and I knew he had to go.

"Call me later." I called out to him as he headed out of the room.

He waved and then was gone, leaving me to my thoughts.

The day was going to be long. That was the one thing I knew for sure. Not only was dinner imminent but I had a lot of shopping to do before tomorrow, when my parents and all seven of my siblings would be arriving.

"Peyton!" I yelled as I slammed her front door only an hour later. At 9:45 am, I would have killed me, but Peyton padded out of the kitchen and waved lazily, "Wow, you're up."

"I knew you'd be here at the crack of dawn. Thought I'd get a early start before I had to deal with you."

"Hey, that is not nice." I insisted following her to her room where she fell onto her bed face first, "First Lucas tells me I can't cook and now you have to 'deal' with me?"

Peyton began to laugh, turning over to lay on her back so that she could see me.

"Did he go to the airport to pick up his mom already?" She asked.

"Yeah. Woke me up an hour ago." I fell onto the bed next to her and we stared at the ceiling together, "Is she nice?"

"Karen?" Peyton was grinning, "Yes. Karen is like the nicest person in the world. You'll love her."

"I have no doubt I'll love her. The question is, will she love me? And how am I going to keep her away from my family." I covered my face and groaned, "Both parents and all seven siblings. Why me?"

"I thought you said that you would never consider your mother's other kids as siblings?"

"Well what else am I supposed to call them? The whore's kids? Technically, they are my siblings and besides, Lucas told me that I wasn't allowed to hate them until I had at least met them."

"Leave it to Lucas." Peyton just laughed again and then stood up, "So, Xander's coming too then?"

I rolled my eyes and forced myself to sit up.

"Yes. Xander's coming too. All I've heard every single time I've talked to him since the last time he was here is 'How's your friend Peyton?' and 'So… how is Peyton doing?'. Frankly, I'm glad he'll finally be able to ask you how you're doing instead of asking me."

She was grinning from ear to ear, something I was pretty sure I had never seen her do. I was just going to have to deal with the fact that Peyton may be dating my brother soon because it seemed that in the three months since the first time they'd met, the attraction was not fading.

"So what kind of shopping are we doing today? Clothing? Accessories? Groceries?"

"Probably a bit of all." I hear myself sigh while Peyton dug through her drawers to find something to wear, "I need clothing for sure. Accessories go with clothing and there's definitely no food in the house. So yeah…"

"Ok. We can handle that. Nothing can ruin my mood. Not even shopping with you."

I glared at her while she smiled at me goofily.

"Cheer up. Just because you have to spend one week with your parents and siblings doesn't mean that everything will not be ok. You have me, and you have Lucas, and all your friends here. If it gets really bad you can always come stay here, but only if you bring Xander with you, and we'll just party every night until school starts. We can handle it." Peyton sat next to me and hugged me tightly, "Let's shop."

Retail therapy was my therapy of choice so maybe I would cheer up during the shopping trip. It was all I could hope for as we set out towards the mall grabbing breakfast from Deb at the café on the way. It wasn't until I actually saw her that I remembered Nate should be coming home soon. That brightened my day a little. I missed him, even though I barely knew him. I felt like we had connected during the day that we did know each other. Boy was he in for a surprise when he got home. So much had changed over the summer. Even Haley, who finally seemed to be warming up to me.

"So what exactly is Xander's job in Spain?" Peyton asked me after we had been shopping for awhile, "He never told me. He just said he was taking over the family business."

Oh boy, this could be a problem.

"It's complicated." I couldn't bullshit the answer much more than that, "My Abuelo died and he took his place. It's just… stuff. Really, he could probably explain it better than I can."

Luckily for me, Peyton accepted that answer leaving me to think about how Xander would explain it all to her if he really wanted to be with her. I was pretty sure she wasn't going to accept it quite as easily as she had accepted my answer which was the only thing I could think of that would keep them apart. From the way Xander talked to me about her, I was pretty sure he was already in love with her. I knew more about her from him then I did from her own mouth which was weird considering they had only spent one short dinner together. He talked about her constantly and was always interested in what she'd been doing lately. I had never seen him act this way before.

"Oh my God, Brooke's back."

The words Peyton said didn't register in my head until she was enveloped in a hurricane of brunette limbs being thrown at her seconds later. Then I realized what she had said and my heart dropped. This was the girl that Lucas had been in love with before I moved here.

"P. Sawyer you are looking absolutely gorgeous. Look at you all tan and skinny. I am so jealous." Brooke made Peyton twirl in front of her to get a good look and then squealed, "I'm so happy to be home. I saw Lucas at the airport and oh my god, he's hotter than ever. Who are you?"

She turned to me just as quickly as she had shown up and waited for me to answer her quick question. It took me a second to realize she was talking to me as I was still hearing her comments about Lucas in my head.

"Um… Savannah Carter. I moved here at the beginning of the summer."

"Yeah? From where?"

"Los Angeles."

"Hey, I just moved back from California. We have something in common. I'm Brooke." She held out her hand for me to shake and I did, "So do you like it here? You've obviously made friends. Isn't Peyton the best? Just be careful letting her around your boyfriend. Speaking of Lucas, Peyton, did he tell you what he said to me before I left?"

With every word this girl spoke, I wanted to crawl deeper and deeper into a whole. She was clearly in love with Lucas and I knew he had been in love with her at the beginning of the summer. We had talked about it before we decided that being together could work anyway. But now that Brooke had returned, could I hold a candle to her?

"So I told him when I saw him at the airport that he couldn't just ambush me looking as good as he did with pretty flowers considering how we left things three months ago and then of course, he wasn't there to see me, he was picking up Karen, but Peyt, I think this could work. He looked amazing and sure, there are still some trust issues but… I couldn't stop thinking about him all summer. All I wanted to do was get back home and tell him that I loved him too."

"So why didn't you call Brooke?" Peyton glanced at me with an uncomfortable grimace, "We haven't heard from you all summer except for you to call me yesterday and tell me you were going to be here tomorrow and now here you are today."

"I've been really busy. I did miss you though which is why I got my parents to get me an earlier flight so I got in today instead. I dropped my stuff off at your house by the way. Is it cool if I crash there until I find a place of my own? I figured since we're best friends…"

"It's fine." Peyton replied hastily, "Wow… I can't believe you're home."

Brooke squealed happily throwing one arm around Peyton and then hugging me to her other side.

"You, best friend, have so much to tell me. How was your summer? And Savannah, I think we're gonna be really good friends. Have you met Lucas? He's gorgeous right?"

I didn't even have time to reply before my phone started ringing. Without even taking it out of my purse I knew it was Lucas.

"Speak of the devil." I forced myself to laugh but even I could hear the nervousness in my voice as I pulled the phone out and up to my ear, "Hey Luke."

I saw confusion spread across Brooke's face and I took that moment to walk away from her and Peyton, hoping that Peyton could maybe break the news to Brooke that the guy she loved and thought loved her had moved on. I hoped he had moved on anyway.

"Hey gorgeous, where are you?"

"I am at the mall with Peyton and Brooke."

The other end of the line got quiet.

"I think we have a lot to talk about Luke. Brooke is… there just aren't words right now. She ambushed us at the mall and started going on and on about how she saw you at the airport and how hot you looked and… needless to say, I think Peyton is telling her right now that I'm your new girlfriend and I might not make it out of this mall alive judging from the glares I'm getting. Why didn't you tell me you told her you loved her before she left?"

I heard Lucas groan but he didn't respond with any sort of answer. If I could have strangled him I would have, but the more current threat was to my life as Brooke and Peyton, only 50 feet away, began a visually heated discussion.

"I can't really talk about this right now Savannah." Lucas finally spoke, "Can we talk tonight?"

"When? At dinner with your mother? That's a good idea Luke. We'll just talk about this over dinner with your mom the very first time she meets me." Sarcasm was dripping from every word. I knew it and so did he.

"Come meet me now then. My mom's gonna go to the café and check up on everything there. We'll have about an hour and then…"

Before he could finish his sentence my call waiting interrupted him and I sighed, looking at the caller ID and seeing that it was Xander.

"Hold that thought. Xander's calling on the other line."

Fifty feet away Brooke and Peyton were still talking with great hand gestures and movement. I could feel the drama surrounding me already.

"Hey Xander." I answered the other line as cheerfully as I could.

"Hi little sister. How are you?"

"I've been better." I said honestly, "How are you?"

"Doing good. Um… you've been better? Maybe I'm calling at a bad time." In the background I could hear young children screaming and mentally I cringed.

"No, it's fine. What's up?"

"We're in town."

I wasn't expecting that.

"You're what? What do you mean in town? I thought you weren't coming in until tomorrow."

"We weren't but dad hates Spain, you know that. Mariah was getting restless too and since we were flying the jet and not on a commercial airliner, well, we just figured that we could get here a day early and give them something new to do instead of just lounging in the compound in Spain for another day." I could hear the tension in Xander's voice. He was waiting for me to explode.

"Well, perfect timing. You showed up on the same day that my boyfriend's mother and ex-girlfriend who he told he loved before she left for the summer came back." I replied with a sigh, "Let's add my psycho family to the mix. Are you at the house?"

"Yeah."

Taking a little bit of time to digest it all, I nodded and relaxed a little when Peyton and Brooke finally stopped discussing whatever they had been discussing. They were now approaching me.

"Ok Xander, here's the thing. Lucas was supposed to bring his mom over for dinner. He's still on the other line. I'm gonna switch over and tell him that we aren't gonna be able to do dinner. You're gonna tell me that everything's gonna be ok and I'll believe you. Then Peyton and I, maybe Brooke, will be over in a little bit and hopefully I'll still have my sanity at the end of the day."

"How about this? You tell Lucas that dinner is still on and he can meet your parents too. Everything is going to be ok and you do believe me on that one. You bring Peyton and whoever this Brooke chick is over soon. Mariah will start cooking dinner and we can all relax and keep our sanity."

"Only because I love you and know that you wouldn't lie to me, I'll go with your plan and trust that it will all be ok. If those kids that I hear in the background break anything in my house I'll kill them when I get there. We'll be home soon."

"Love you."

I growled a response and then hung up on him, switching back over to Lucas.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"There's been a slight change of plans. My family came into town today." As I explained the situation to him I saw Peyton's eyes light up and a smile take over her features, "My sister can cook. We'll still have dinner at the house. You can meet my parents. I'll meet your mom. Things will be fine."

He was hesitating in responding which gave me time to mouth a question to Brooke and Peyton. 'Is everything ok?' Brooke shrugged which gave me no clue as to how she was feeling or what she was thinking. I didn't want her to hate me just because I had started dating Lucas over the summer. She seemed really nice.

"Ok, I need to run everything by my mom but she shouldn't have a problem with it." Lucas finally replied, "We'll see you for dinner at 8?"

"I'll be there."

We said our good-byes and then I hung up the phone, sighing loudly.

"I am so sorry about all that." I began apologizing immediately.

"It's ok. I…" Brooke looked unsure of what to say to me, "I shouldn't have just gone on and on about Lucas like that. I had no clue that you're his girlfriend and… I mean you have every right to date him and he had every right to move on during the summer. I didn't call so… How was he supposed to know right?"

"If he had Brooke, I'm sure he wouldn't have…" I considered what I was saying very carefully before I spoke. If he had known then he wouldn't have fallen for me? Perfect. Makes our relationship sound really great. I cursed myself for even thinking it. I couldn't finish the sentence.

After a few seconds of silence, Peyton finally said something to break the weird tension hanging over the three of us.

"So Xander's here?"

I began to laugh while I nodded.

"Xander brought the clan in early. They're all at the house and I just agreed to bringing you two over with me. He claims we can relax and stay sane but… well, you haven't met my family so that's probably not going to happen. Feel free to back out if you don't want to deal with them."

I knew before Peyton said a word that she wouldn't back out. The plan included her seeing Xander. She was going to take part. Brooke was still a grey area for me though. I wasn't sure how she was feeling about all she had learned in this short period of time or how she would react to it all.

"I'm in." Peyton said simply.

Brooke looked back and forth between Peyton and I and then nodded.

"Yeah. Might as well. I have nothing better to do."

I grinned at both of them and turned around, linking my arms through theirs, one for each girl.

"This is all going to be ok. Xander said so and I believe him."

When I opened the front door of my house, nearly colliding with two screaming children who ran by at the exact same moment, I began to doubt Xander and his logic. What was I thinking bringing my boyfriend and his mother into this insanity? I didn't even want to be here, why would they?

"I think I'm gonna just call Luke and cancel. This isn't gonna work." I said immediately, not even ten feet inside the door.

"Yes it is." Peyton assured me, taking my hand and dragging me further into the house, "Let's find Xander."

We took a few cautious steps into the house, Brooke closing the door behind us.

"Nice house." She commented, looking around.

"Mamá!" One of the little brats running by screamed. I had the urge to reach out and grab him by his ear before he could go any farther but I resisted, just barely.

My mother's voice screeched through the house only moments later and I cringed. God forbid she actually get up off her ass to check on why the brat was screaming.

"Ruben, viene aquí si usted necesita hablar conmigo!"

"I feel like I just stepped into a foreign language film. Where are the subtitles?" Brooke mumbled.

I had to laugh. The girl had a funny outlook on it but it did occur to me that neither Brooke or Peyton were going to understand what was being said. For that matter, neither were Lucas and Karen.

"She told Ruben to go to wherever the hell she is if he wanted to speak with her." I translated for Brooke, "Quick, let's find Xander before the brat tells my mother we're here."

"There's my gorgeous daughter." My father was to our left before we could head in any other direction, his arms outstretched to me, "You look great baby. I knew you'd like it here."

"Yeah daddy." I hugged him and mentally groaned, "Um, these are my friends Peyton and Brooke. Actually, Brooke and I just met about an hour ago, but she's cool. Peyton, Brooke… this is my dad Deacon."

"Nice to meet you." Peyton shook his hand and smiled graciously.

Brooke did the same.

"Where's Xander?" I asked my dad before he could go any further into a conversation I didn't want to have.

"I think he went upstairs to hang art. He said he had presents for you."

That made my day all better.

"EEK!" I squealed and headed for the stairs, "New paintings!"

I made it to my room in record time, narrowly avoiding running into a teenage girl standing in the hallway. I dodged her and continued on my way.

"Tell me that you have new paintings for me."

Xander turned around from where he was admiring his handiwork on the wall and grinned, opening his arms for me as I jumped into them.

"I do. What do you think?"

He set me back down and I turned to see the two new paintings.

"Wow. Tell me that you didn't try that before you painted it. I think that requires some sort of dislocation…" I had to cock my head to the side to try and figure out exactly whose body parts were whose in the painting, "Ouch."

Xander just laughed.

"That is hot." Brooke commented as she and Peyton entered the room moments later, "Oh my god, these are all hot. You are one sick bitch. Hanging paintings of sexual positions on your wall? I wish I had thought of it first. Goodness…"

She admired each painting individually but the artist, my brother who was standing beside me, didn't notice a word she said. His eyes were locked with Peyton's and he was smiling from ear to ear. I could feel the sexual tension building already and this was only the second time they'd met. I had a feeling this was going to be dangerous to their health.

"Ok…" I moved over to where Brooke was standing so as not to get in the way when Xander and Peyton finally reached each other and hugged, "I think my brother and your best friend just made records in how fast two people can hook up."

Brooke looked over her shoulder and saw the two of them whispering to each other. She smiled.

"Peyton deserves to be happy and if she can find that with your brother, then I'm all for it. Especially when the boy does work like this." She was still admiring the paintings, "You think he actually knows how to do all this?"

"I'd rather not think about it."

She laughed and then we both turned to watch Peyton and Xander who seemed to forget that either one of us were in the room.

"Is it weird to you though? I mean, this is the second time they've ever met. They didn't talk on the phone during the summer as far as I know so this is basically only the second time they've ever had contact and they've forgotten we exist." I watched in amazement.

"Peyton's a very passionate person." Brooke said simply.

"So is Xander."

She shrugged.

"Or maybe they're just horny."

At that comment the two began to laugh, turning and looking at Brooke and I who were very amused.

"How about you go meet your new siblings and leave us alone huh?" Xander suggested to me.

"Eww, no. I am not leaving you two horny ass people in my room to have sex on my bed. No way. If I leave this room, you do too."

"We're not gonna have sex." Peyton assured me, "We're just talking."

"Then go 'just talk' in his room."

"Yeah, about the rooms…" Xander sighed, "We don't have enough room for everyone and we weren't sure what you would want the sleeping arrangements to be. So… what do you want us to do?"

"Send mom and her brats to sleep outside." I mumbled. Brooke giggled beside me.

"Savannah…" Xander warned.

"Yeah, yeah. Ok, um… I don't know. I guess I get my room, you get yours. Mariah can have the third room. Mom and Dad can share the fourth and the brats get the fifth. That's the best I can do."

"Well, actually…" Peyton looked directly into Xander's eyes and spoke, "There's extra room at my house. If someone needs to stay there…"

"As in you can bring your fine ass over there and stay in her bed." Brooke finished Peyton's sentence for her with a laugh, "I'll be there too but Peyton and I have a strict no sharing boyfriends policy now. Right Peyt?"

Peyton was in hysterics, laughing so hard that she had fallen from the bed to the floor.

"That's so dirty." I laughed too, "That would work though Xan. Then we can put the brat girls in one room and the brat boys in your room."

Xander was just shaking his head as the three of us made him laugh.

"Alright, we can do that." He agreed, looking down to the floor where Peyton was still laughing, "As long as you're sure."

Peyton just nodded, unable to speak.

"Then it's settled. Someone break it to mom. I'm gonna stand here and ponder my new wall art." I turned back to my painting and grinned. That one might be fun to try with Lucas as soon as my parents were out of the house.

"No, come on. I'll go with you for support but you have to come meet the kids and I promise, they're not as bad as you think they are."

Xander stood grabbing my arm and pulling me from the room while I objected loudly.

"They're running around my house and screaming at the top of their lungs and I really really…" We reached the bottom of the stairs where one of the kids was sitting, grinning up at us. I couldn't finish my sentence. She was the cutest little thing I had ever seen in my life, "Oh my God, she is so cute."

I didn't even hesitate in picking her up and cuddling her in my arms.

"That is Isabel. She's three and yes, she is very cute." Xander was smiling at me with a grin that had I told you so written all over it.

"Isabel." The little girl just smiled up at me, still not saying a word, "¿Cuántos años tiene?"

She held up three fingers to represent how old she was.

"I wanna squeeze her. Can I keep her?" Still holding her I headed into the living room where I suspected the rest of my family was hiding, "Daddy, isn't she cute?"

My dad looked up at me and laughed.

"She does have a way of growing on you. Wait until she talks to you. She sounds even cuter than she looks."

"Yeah?" I had to try it out so I asked her to say my name, "Savannah."

"'Abannah." She couldn't pronounce the S or the Vwhich only made it that much cuter.

"Oy." I hugged her tight and turned to the kids that I now noticed were sitting on the couch with my dad, "Hola, soy Savannah. ¿Usted es?"

I heard Xander behind me translating everything that I said to Peyton and Brooke as I said it. I had just asked the kids who they were even though I knew. Really I guess I just needed to know their names.

The oldest boy stood up and held out his hand for me to shake.

"Soy Orlando." He smiled at me and I had to admit that they all seemed nice enough so I smiled back.

"Soy Savannah."

The oldest girl followed her brother's lead and shook my hand next smiling a little. She seemed shy but not unfriendly.

"Soy Bianca."

Directly behind her, ready to meet me was a rather cute little boy, one of the ones who had been very uncut a little while ago, running around the house and screaming.

"Soy Domingo. Tengo seis años. Usted es muy bonita." He did a little bow and then went running away, jumping into Bianca's arms and burying his head, apparently embarrassed as he had just told me that I was very pretty.

"Aww, you're so cute." I had to gush over him, turning to Peyton and Brooke, "He told me he's 6 years old and that I'm very pretty."

"Aww!" They both gushed with me. Xander rolled his eyes.

"We're missing a kid though aren't we?"

Somewhere in being introduced to three of them, one had disappeared and I wasn't sure where he had gone.

"Ruben." Xander groaned, "He's… a bit of a brat. He probably went to find mom."

"Oh well, I'll just stick with this one." I squeezed Isabel who was still in my arms and she giggled loudly, "Ah, usted es tan mono."

"Yes." Xander agreed, "She is cute. Dad? We found a solution to the bedroom situation. It does require you sharing a room with our mother though. Think you can handle it?"

Our dad laughed and nodded.

"I've been able to handle it for 25 years. I think I can handle it for a few more nights."

"If she gets too crazy you can just toss her out the window." I added, further making my dad laugh but in a way where he looked like he wanted to scold me at the same time.

"I heard that." My mother joined us with her fifth and final kid, Ruben, right beside her, "I don't see where it's a laughing matter."

My dad immediately stopped laughing, clearly biting his lip so as not to continue.

"What's your so called solution?" My mom asked Xander, eyeing Peyton and Brooke who she hadn't been introduced to yet.

"I am going to go to Peyton's house and stay there. This is Peyton by the way and her friend Brooke. This is our mother, Veronica. Anyway, then there's enough rooms for everyone. You'll have to share with dad. You can put Orlando, Ruben, and Domingo in my room. Bianca and Isabel in the extra room. Mariah gets her own room. Savannah in hers."

My mother didn't look pleased with our "solution" but she didn't object.

"I heard my name. What are we talking about?" Mariah emerged from the kitchen, looking as put together as she always did, even though I knew she had just been cooking, "Hey Savannah."

"Hi Mariah."

The two of us were always pleasant with each other but it never went beyond pleasant. The fact that she was my sister barely registered.

"Sleeping arrangements." Xander said once again, rolling his eyes, "We were just explaining the sleeping arrangements to mom."

Mariah nodded but said nothing else, looking around the room at the group, taking all of us in.

"Hey Savannah, can you help me in the kitchen? There's a few things I can't find."

Even the fact that Mariah was asking me was fishy, but I was curious and so I followed her, leaving Isabel in Xander's arms.

"What do you need help finding?" I asked when we were alone in the kitchen.

"Nothing." She stopped by the stove, checking on whatever was in all the pots and stirring a couple of things, "I just thought we could talk. How do you like this little town?"

I almost considered not answering. I thought that if maybe I smacked her or pinched myself the dream would end and we would go back to what it should be. But it wasn't a dream. She really wanted to talk.

"Um.. I really like it actually. Yeah, it's small but I have a boyfriend and friends and people who care about me. It's nice."

"Who are those girls? Friends?"

She must be referring to Peyton and Brooke because she never got introduced.

"Yeah. Peyton and I have been close all summer. Brooke I actually just met today. She's been in California for the summer but she's Peyton's best friend." It was weird conversing with my sister, really weird, "Actually, she used to date my boyfriend."

Mariah grinned.

"Tell me more." She was interested in the gossip which made me weary, but maybe she was just genuinely interested in my life for once. I was going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, Lucas actually liked Peyton but Peyton was too scared to be with him and she was dating Nathan at the time so Lucas started dating Brooke but then Peyton was interested so he cheated on Brooke with Peyton and Brooke found out so they broke up but then Peyton felt bad so they didn't really get together. So then Lucas realized he was really into Brooke but Brooke didn't trust him anymore and it took a long time to earn her trust again and just before she left for California he told her that he loved her but then he met me and now here we are."

"That's some crazy shit." Mariah laughed and just stared at me, "So, he's really into you though? You're sure?"

I had kept my mind from going to that spot all day long. Since the second I met Brooke and found out that Lucas had told her he loved her, I had been trying to keep myself from thinking about the what ifs. What if he didn't like me as much as I thought? What if he still loved Brooke? What if he wanted her more than he wanted me? What if…

"I'm never sure Mariah." I said to her, "Never can be. All I can do is hope that he likes me as much as I like him and go with it. In the end, we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

She nodded her agreement and turned back to her cooking.

"I guess you're right."


	9. Chapter 8: Dinner's at 8

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! It really makes my day when I know someone's enjoyed something that I've written. This chapter... well, I wanted to get it out and I think that it came out pretty good, but I didn't have my beta read it before I'm posting it, so if you guys see any flaws, feel free to point them out. I hope you all continue to enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight**

_**Dinner's at 8**_

**Lucas POV**

"Mom? Are you ready yet?" I admit it. I'm nervous. There are no words to explain the amount of nervousness I feel at this very moment. Savannah is going to meet my mother. And I'm meeting her parents. All… at the same time.

"How do I look?" My mom came out of her bedroom dressed in a modest black dress and she smiled, "Simple? Elegant?"

"Beautiful." I smiled back at her and we paused for a moment, taking in the silence.

All summer I had lived without her and now that she was back, I felt like a little boy, only wanting his mommy. I was almost grown and here I was, just wanting to be young again. It was almost as if taking this step, her meeting my girlfriend and her family, was too much.

"Maybe we should just not go."

"Lucas!" My mom turned and headed for the door, grabbing her jacket off the coat rack and laughing, "Lucas, we're going. I want to meet this girl I've heard almost nothing about."

"Mom…"

She had been rubbing it in since she got home that I had sprung this on her. We had talked while she was in New Zealand, but I really hadn't told her much about the new girl I was dating.

"Get your jacket. Come on. We're gonna be late." My mom was already almost out the door, "I'll even let you drive if you hurry."

All I could do was follow her out the door, grabbing my jacket on the way out. She was right. We had to go and we were gonna be late if I didn't hurry.

"So do you know her parents names?" My mom asked as we drove.

"Um…" Savannah had told me once but it wasn't coming to me now, "Wow. I don't remember."

"You're a great boyfriend already." My mom joked.

"Mom." I groaned and then remembered suddenly, "Deacon and Veronica. Those are her parents names. She has a brother and sister too. They're twins. Xander and Mariah. Her mom lives in Spain. Her dad lives in New York for the most part right now. And if I remember correctly, her mom has five kids from a relationship she has in Spain but her parents are still married if that makes any sense at all."

"Interesting." My mom just smiled over at me, "You really like her Luke? I mean, is she the one? Or are we not at that point yet?"

That was the question of the day. I had asked myself a million times today, did I really think that Savannah was it for me? Only three months ago I was positive that Brooke was the one and only one for me and now, here I was, taking my mom to meet my new girlfriend and her parents. Meeting the parents was a big step. So was I taking this big step because I loved Savannah? Or was I doing it because it was convenient?

"I don't know." I answered honestly because it was all I could put into a thought, "I really don't know. I just want to get through dinner."

My mom didn't ask anymore questions, much to my surprise. She was quiet until we pulled into the driveway at Savannah's house.

"Hey, isn't that Peyton's car?" My mom pointed out as we pulled into the driveway and stopped our car.

It was Peyton's car. She must be here too and I knew exactly why. Savannah had already told me that Peyton and Xander kind of had a thing. It was kind of cute actually. I was glad that Peyton was moving on from Jake because I really didn't believe Jake was coming back this time, no matter how much any of us wanted him too.

"Yeah, she likes Savannah's brother Xander. That's probably why she's here."

"Oh… I see." My mom grinned as we stepped out of the car and closed the doors behind us, "This should be an interesting dinner."

I had barely had time to ring the doorbell as my mom fixed my tie before the front door swung open and there stood Savannah, in all her grace, grinning widely. She was tan and gorgeous, her white and yellow sundress a bright contrast against her tanned skin. In that moment, I definitely loved her.

"Hi." She immediately stretched her hand out to my mom, "I'm Savannah. It's great to finally meet you."

My mom smiled and shook her hand, sending me a look that said a million things different things. Hopefully they were all good but I'm sure she would tell me later.

"You too. You have a beautiful house here."

"Thanks. Sorry, come on in." Savannah beckoned us inside the house and closed the door behind us. She was still grinning when she joined me and linked her hand with mine, "My family is in the living room which is right this way."

I was forced to walk with her instead of behind her since she was gripping my hand tight. My mom was on my other side and the three of us walked into the room together. Nothing could have prepared me for the group that I saw though.

The man who could only be her father was standing near the window, a toddler in his arms who was chattering loudly in what I was assuming was Spanish. Peyton and Xander sat by the fireplace, sort of cuddling but really just whispering to each other. On the couch there were two teenagers who I didn't recognize and a third that I did. Brooke. My eyes didn't travel around the room past her.

"Lucas, Karen, this is my family and of course, Peyton and Brooke who you know. This is my dad Deacon."

Her father approached us and I had to pull my eyes away from Brooke, whose presence had stunned me into silence, to shake his hand.

"It's great to meet you." He said with a smile, "Savannah's been telling us all about you Lucas."

"Hopefully that's a good thing." I heard myself laugh nervously but he didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Mrs. Scott…" Her dad turned to my mom and shook her hand also.

"Ms. Roe actually." My mom corrected him and I cringed inside, "His father and I were never married."

"I'll admit sometimes I wish Veronica and I never were either." Her dad surprised me with his statement and I found myself almost laughing.

Savannah did laugh.

"Daddy, really, not appropriate for dinner ok?"

"Don't worry sweetie. I'm not trying to embarrass you. Just a little joke to break the ice." He tickled the toddler who was still in his arms and she giggled loudly, "This is Isabel by the way. She doesn't speak English but she's a charmer all the same. ¿Isabel, usted puede decir hola a Lucas y Karen?"

"Hola." The little girl waved and then buried her head into Deacon's shoulder bashfully.

"She's semi-shy." Savannah said and then looked up to me, kissing me very softly before turning back to her family, "The other people in the room… on the couch are Orlando and Bianca. They also don't speak English. They're my moms kids from Spain. Orlando, Bianca, esto es mi novio Lucas y su mamá Karen."

The Spanish was interesting since I didn't understand a word. They all did though and the two teenagers waved to us.

"Over with Peyton by the fireplace is my brother Xander who you've met Luke, but Xander, this is Lucas's mom Karen."

"It's nice to meet you." He left Peyton's side for a second and joined us on the other side of the room, shaking my mom's hand, "I have actually heard a lot about you so it's great to finally meet you."

"All good I hope." My mom replied casually and Xander grinned.

"Of course."

"Um… my mom is setting up the table for dinner." Savannah explained as Xander rejoined Peyton, "Mariah's putting the final touches on the food. There are two more little boys running around somewhere but who knows where. You'll meet them eventually. Until dinner, can I get you guys something to drink?"

Normally when I came to Savannah's house I had beer so I had to resist the urge to ask her for one of those.

"Unfortunately, I will have to admit that Savannah has a natural talent for mixing alcohol." Deacon said as he and Isabel took a seat on the couch, "So Karen, feel free to ask if you would like it. Lucas, I assume you're still not old enough?"

"Not legally."

My mom sort of nudged me but didn't say anything else about that statement.

"Actually, no mixed drinks but if you have wine, I'll take a glass of that." My mom asked Savannah.

"White or red?"

"White if you have it."

Savannah smiled widely.

"Coming right up. Luke?"

"Soda. Whatever you have."

I was still feeling unnaturally unnerved around everyone and I wasn't really sure why. They were all very nice, especially her dad who I expected to be more scary and less funny. It might have just been the fact that here in this room was her family, my mom, and my entire romantic past.

Savannah returned quickly with our drinks and took my hand again, squeezing it for reassurance.

"Mariah said the food is almost ready and mom said that we can go ahead and sit at the table if we want." She announced to the room, "Someone needs to find Domingo and Ruben though."

"Domingo y Ruben subió las escaleras. Yo los obtendré." The teenage girl said, and I had no clue what she had said but then she disappeared while the rest of us headed for the table.

"It doesn't matter where everyone sits." Deacon told us, "Just pick a chair where you're comfortable."

"I'm gonna make sure everything's ok in the kitchen." Savannah whispered to me, kissing my cheek, "Make sure I'm sitting next to you ok?"

I nodded and she disappeared again, leaving me to pick seats at the table.

"Meeting the parentals already." Brooke came up from behind me and grinned as she sidled by, "Good job."

I wanted to hide. I really wanted nothing more than to run and hide at that moment. She drove me crazy and she always had, but there was more to the situation now. She had disappeared for the summer and now… Well, now she was here and I didn't know what I felt anymore. My mind, my heart, and my body all said that I still wanted her and yet, Savannah was everything I could dream of and more. She had been with me all summer through everything. We shared a lot of the same interests, basketball being a big one, and she understood me, better than anyone had since Haley and I had met when we were little kids. But Brooke…

"If you stare any harder at Brooke, someone's gonna notice." My mom whispered as we headed for the table. She nudged me, raised an eyebrow, and then chose a seat near Savannah's dad.

Once Brooke was seated I found a seat as far away from her as possible. The last thing I needed was for someone to notice my indecision. Even sitting away from her though, I could feel her eyes on me and I couldn't help but steal looks at her every once in awhile too.

"Alright, here's the first course." Savannah and the woman I assumed was her sister came out of the kitchen with several plates, setting them at various places on the table, spread out so everyone could reach, "Luke, Karen, this is my sister Mariah. She's a professional chef so I guarantee the food is good."

"What is it?" Xander asked.

I had been wondering the same thing as I stared at the bowl in the middle of the plate surrounded by pieces of what appeared to be garlic toast.

"It's Caponata. Don't ask what's in it. Just eat it."

"What if our guests are allergic to whatever's in it?" Xander replied, sticking his tongue out at his twin who snarled back playfully.

"Fine, it's eggplant."

"I love Caponata." My mom said, taking a cue from Deacon who was already serving himself and putting a piece of the bread with some of the Caponata on it onto her plate, "I went to cooking school in Italy for six weeks and this was one of my favorite dishes."

"Really?" Mariah seemed intrigued, "We'll have to talk about that. I need to go check on the rest of the food though. Savannah, get mom and tell her to sit down please."

"I'll be right back." Savannah smiled at all of us and she and Mariah disappeared again just as Bianca reappeared with the two boys that we were missing.

"Que un asiento y coma." Xander said to them spurring them to sit down. I wasn't sure what he said but it seemed to work as they began to eat quietly.

Savannah reappeared only moments later with her mother in tow.

"Mom, this is Lucas and his mother Karen. This is my mom Veronica who doesn't want to join us. She insists Mariah needs her help."

"Cállese y siéntese. Soy fino." Her mother said harshly in Spanish.

Again, I was lost but Savannah just laughed and shook her head, taking her seat next to me.

"It's nice to meet you." Veronica finally greeted us once she took her seat at the opposite end of the table from Deacon who was currently busy helping Isabel eat some of the food.

"You too." My mom replied, "I was telling Savannah that this is a gorgeous house. I didn't even realize we had houses like this in town."

I had to agree. Until I met Savannah, I had thought the nicest houses in town were the size of Dan and Deb's house, or Brooke's old place. This house put those to shame.

"That's a funny story actually. I have a friend, he's in construction and we found Tree Hill around… last December or so. We knew this was the town that we wanted to send Savannah too but we couldn't find a house so my friend, he said he'd look around and see what he could find and eventually he found an empty lot here. We told him to build something he thought Savannah would like so he built her this. From what I can tell, she likes it right sweetie?"

Savannah smiled at her dad and nodded.

"I love it daddy."

"Well, why did you send her here if I might ask? I haven't really heard much about the situation. I just know that she moved here at the beginning of the summer." My mom looked to Deacon for an answer but it was Veronica who spoke.

"The reasons vary depending on who you ask. Deacon and I made the decision based on her school record. She was kicked off the basketball team and only allowed to finish the rest of the school year at her private school because they searched her locker and found marijuana in it. She claims it wasn't hers."

"It wasn't." Savannah was tensing up next to me and I squeezed her hand reassuringly, "This girl Chenille who used to be my friend was jealous of me for some unknown reason and she framed me."

"The point is…" Deacon clearly didn't want to get into the whole matter very deeply, probably sensing Savannah's embarrassment, "Savannah got into some trouble at school which we associated with the people she was around. We wanted to get her away from that so we moved her. Honestly, I wanted to keep her a little closer to me as I started up my new practice in New York City but that's hardly the place to take her to keep her out of trouble."

"I wasn't getting into trouble in the first place." Savannah objected but quieted down when her dad sent her a look, "I like it here though. Tree Hill is a nice town."

"And the fact that you met such wonderful people has something to do with it right?" Peyton teased her.

Everyone laughed, breaking the tension that had fallen over all of us. Savannah just nodded and went back to eating her food.

"Ok, I know you're probably all still eating the appetizers." Mariah returned with a large pot that she set in the center of the table, "This is the second course. It's Pappa al Pomodoro and it's meant to be served at room temperature or just barely warmed up so if it cools off some before you eat it, that's fine. Main course is ready too but I want to sit down and eat too so…"

"We'll take care of it Mariah. Sit down." Deacon nodded at her and she smiled, taking a seat on the other side of Savannah and starting to eat her own meal.

"Pappa al Pomodoro…" Savannah grinned, "It's tomato soup."

"Just because you can speak Italian doesn't mean you have to make it sound less exotic for everyone else." Mariah teased her, "Pappa al Pomodoro."

Savannah spoke Italian? That was actually news to me. I had no idea.

"You speak Italian?" I asked her, only mildly aware that the fact I didn't know this about her might seem weird to her family.

"I speak Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French." Savannah replied simply.

I was amazed. I had no clue that my girlfriend was so cultured and it unnerved me just a little more because I realized that I really didn't know her that well.

"We live in Vigo, Spain." Veronica spoke up, "Savannah visited a lot when she was younger and since Vigo is right on the border of Spain and Portugal, she picked up both languages rather easily. Italian and French she picked up on her own. We were never really sure how or why, she just did. She's always been very smart."

Savannah looked stunned that her mother would say anything nice about her, but genuinely pleased all at the same time.

"I think she was just trying to outdo Mariah and I." Xander laughed, "She was constantly showing us up. If we got an award at school, she got five. I learned French and Mariah learned Italian so Savannah naturally learned both."

"Oh, you're so funny." Savannah glared at him playfully, "I didn't do it to show them up. I did it because I like languages. So many of them are very similar and yet they're all individual. I just like learning them."

"Are you gonna learn more?" Peyton asked.

"German is next." Savannah announced proudly, "I just got a German-English dictionary actually and I'll start teaching myself soon."

"That's incredible." My mom said, smiling at Savannah, "It takes talent to learn even one foreign language and you've self taught yourself five. Good for you."

"Now you have to say thank you in all five languages." Deacon said and Savannah happily obliged.

"Thank you. Gracias. Obrigado. Merci. Ringraziarla. We'll make it six languages because I do know how to say thank you in German already, Vielen Dank."

My mom applauded her as did the others around the table and Savannah just grinned.

I learned a lot more about her over dinner. Much to her embarrassment, her brother and sister seemed content to tell stories about their childhood, especially times when they had ganged up on Savannah usually resulting in some sort of crazy spectacle from the younger her. Her father clearly adored her as he often told stories of her accomplishments and good doings. Her mother really sat back and watched for the most part, not really taking part. She just overlooked things and I got the feeling that Savannah had been right in saying that her mom didn't want to be part of the family. She much preferred being in Spain, around people that spoke Spanish only and her boyfriend, which was still a weird situation to me. She didn't even pay much attention to her five Spanish children. Deacon paid more attention to Isabel than her mother did.

Of course, her family wanted to know more about me and my mom gladly told some embarrassing stories about me too. I was happy she didn't have the photo album with her that usually accompanied these stories. That one picture that every child has. The naked baby picture. She liked to show mine off.

Throughout it all though, the dinner still seemed surreal. The food was good, our Pappa al Pomodoro followed by grilled swordfish and for desert, real Italian lemon ice served in actual lemon cups. I kept looking up and catching Brooke's eye though which made me very uncomfortable. I didn't want Savannah to see and yet, I didn't like feeling sneaky. I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I felt like I was. It was awkward.

At the end of the night we all said goodbye and headed out, Savannah walking us to our car. My mom seemed truly enchanted by everyone, hugging Savannah before she got in the car. She left us standing outside the driver's side door, and again it was awkward.

"I like your mom." Savannah said with a grin, "She's really nice."

"Your dad's funny and he loves you. I can tell. Mariah doesn't seem as evil as you made her out to be."

"She was different today." Savannah admitted, "We talked before everyone came over and I don't know… something's off but in a good way. I just can't put my finger on it. My mom's evil though right?"

I laughed.

"Not evil but she definitely didn't seem to care too much about anyone that was here. It's ok though because the rest of the family makes up for it."

"True enough." Savannah and I both fell silent for a second before she leaned in and kissed me very softly while she whispered, "If you still love Brooke, it's ok Luke. Just say the word."

I was stunned into silence and had no time to reply before she waved simply and headed back towards the house. It had been a good night, but what would the next day bring?


	10. Chapter 9: Not so Suddenly Everything

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long guys. I had serious issues with my roommate and I ended up moving to a new place so I had to find the time to get this story onto a new computer and start writing again while moving and dealing with everything... It's been tough but I finally got a new chapter written. I hope you all like it. :)**

**Chapter Nine**

_**Not So Suddenly, Everything Has Changed**_

**Nathan POV**

I thought that coming home would be hard, having gone all summer without talking to anyone. I knew that I could come home to changes and life would be different, but never did I think that things would be like they are. I was hoping to come home to Haley. Come home to my wife and instead I got my father, not so nicely informing me my wife has moved out.

It's not the idea that she moved out that bothers me really. I understand that she wouldn't want to live in the house now that my dad's out of the hospital and there all the time. Hell, I was probably going to move out now. The problem I had was I didn't know where she was. I didn't know how to find her.

My first instinct was to call Luke and ask him, and I did, but he didn't answer. My second instinct was to go to the café. It wasn't until I was driving past Savannah's house that the thought occurred to me to check there. It had been a long summer. Savannah lived in an empty house and from what I could tell when I left, I figured they'd be friends by now. Maybe Haley was staying with Savannah. I should check there.

When I pulled into the driveway, it occurred to me that something was different. There were more cars here. Cars that I didn't recognize but, then again, who knew the company Savannah was keeping these days. All I could do was hope that she would be here… with my wife.

I rung the doorbell and was immediately greeted by loud noises on the other side that sounded like children screaming. This confused me more than anything and suddenly I was wondering if I had the right house. Maybe I had confused where Savannah lived. This looked like the right place but three months could have altered my memory.

"¡Cierre la boca y vaya afuera!" I heard screamed on the other side of the door and then it was swung open to reveal a woman who was probably about 21 covered in flour and not looking very happy, "Can I help you?"

"Um…" I was still very confused but something about this woman seemed familiar to me, "Is Savannah here?"

"Yeah, come on in." She ushered me into the house, shutting the door behind me and yelling one more time at the kids in the foyer who were still screaming.

I followed her into the kitchen, narrowly avoiding a scattering child who ran right in front of me and there I found Savannah and a guy laughing loudly, also completely covered in flour.

"Nathan!" Savannah seemed very excited to see me, quickly setting what appeared to be cookie dough that she had in her hand down onto the counter and running over to me, jumping and hugging me.

I was now also completely covered in flour.

"Oh my God, when did you get home? How was High Flyers? Wow, I covered you in flour. I am so sorry." She stepped back and stood there, grinning at me while I stood there, stunned into silence, "Did you lose your voice at basketball camp or did I just stun you into silence?"

"The last choice…" I laughed finally, looking her over and realizing how funny it was that everyone in the room was covered in flour, "What's going on in here huh? Flour fight?"

Savannah laughed and pulled me over to the counter with her.

"Kind of. Mariah was making cookies so Xander and I volunteered to help and well, we made a big mess." Savannah shrugged, "Oh, you haven't met Mariah or Xander yet. Guys, this is Nathan. He's Luke's half brother and he's been away at basketball camp for the summer. Nate, this is my brother Xander and my sister Mariah."

"Nice to meet you." Xander extended his hand to shake mine and then looked down at it, noticing it was covered in cookie dough and more flour. He retracted it and laughed quietly.

"Half brother huh?" Mariah raised her eyebrow at me and then looked at Savannah, "Nice genes."

Savannah tossed a piece of cookie dough at Mariah who giggled and it was then that I finally got the joke. She didn't mean the jeans I was wearing. She meant the family genes.

"Ignore my sister." Savannah rolled her eyes and smiled at me, "When did you get home?"

"A few minutes ago actually. I went to my house looking for Haley but she wasn't there and well… I had a bit of a run in with my dad."

"Ah yes, the infamous Dan Scott." Savannah nodded as if she understood what I was going through, which probably meant she had met him, "He and I sort of bumped into each other a couple weeks ago. He makes my mother look like an angel and that's saying something."

"No way. There can't be someone on this planet that's more evil than our mother." Mariah commented but Savannah just nodded at her, "Wow, you're serious."

"My father has a way of instilling genuine disgust into every person he meets." I shrugged knowing there was nothing that could be done, "What'd he say to you Savannah?"

"Nothing important. Something about my choice in Scott boys which kind of set Lucas off but then Dan was gone so it was pointless. "

"You're choice in Scott boys?" I was confused.

"Oh, shit. I totally keep forgetting you haven't been here all summer. Pull up a chair. Lucas and I are together… for the time being. I think he's still in love with Brooke who returned from California just yesterday."

I did need a chair.

"I haven't heard from Lucas since last night when, after he met my parents over dinner and I met his mom, I told him that if he was still in love with Brooke, all he needed to do was tell me."

"You didn't tell me you told him that!" Xander and Mariah exclaimed at the same time, tiny pieces of cookie dough flying through the air towards Savannah from all directions.

"Eww, twin talk." Savannah through cookie dough back at them and then sighed, "He loves her guys and he has a track record of cheating. So if I didn't say anything, then he goes off in a couple weeks and sleeps with her anyway, just without telling me and eventually we all just get hurt. I have saved myself some trouble."

"Lucas isn't the same guy he was when he cheated on Brooke. You should consider that." I told her and she sighed.

"He hasn't called. I will consider the options when I actually know what they are. Until then, let's change the subject. You came home and you went to find Haley but she wasn't there because she moved out and you then came here why?"

"I thought that maybe she'd be here." Saying it out loud made it sound stupid, "I just thought that you lived here alone and you guys are probably friends now so maybe when she moved out from my house she moved in with you. It's stupid now that I think about it but it sounded reasonable when I was driving by your house."

Savannah laughed.

"No, it's not stupid given that you haven't been here all summer and you have no idea what's going on. From my point of view… yeah kinda stupid. Haley doesn't like me. She moved into Lucas's house, for the summer anyway. She figured when you came home you guys could find a place together, or at least that's what Luke tells me. Again, Haley doesn't like me so I don't really know."

"Why doesn't Haley like you?" I thought they had been getting along ok when I left, or I figured they would once Savannah apologized for what she had said during that Truth or Dare game.

"According to her there are numerous reasons but I'm not really sure. I know she doesn't like that Lucas and I have gotten so serious so quickly but she's the married one, no offense, so she can't really talk. I don't think she ever really forgave me for the Truth or Dare joke and well… I don't know."

"Can we back up for a minute?" Mariah suddenly interjected, "You're married? Scratch that, I don't care because I've seen weirder things but you're wife is living with your brother who is dating my sister who your wife doesn't like? I'm really, really confused."

"You and me both." I mumbled, taking in all that Savannah was telling me, "Well, so then she's probably with Lucas right now right?"

"Don't answer that until you explain this to me." Mariah stopped Savannah, "Explain, then answer."

"Lucas and Haley have been best friends forever." Xander explained before Savannah could, "Nathan and Haley got married during last school year but Haley went on tour. When she got back, Nathan went to basketball camp and then Haley moved in with Lucas to get away from Dan."

I didn't even want to know how Xander knew all that and yet Mariah didn't. There were just things that I wouldn't know and I could be ok with that.

"Yes, Haley is probably with Lucas but I wouldn't know because I haven't talked to Lucas since last night." Savannah finally answered me and then she sighed, "I want a cookie."

"Help me clean up this mess and then I'll actually make cookies, I promise." Mariah stood up from her stool and moved to throw away the dough they had been playing with.

Xander and Savannah joined in, and I felt like I wasn't doing anything, so I joined in. We had the place cleaned up pretty quickly so that the flour was no longer covering all the surfaces of the kitchen and then we began the process of really making cookies.

Without even knowing it, the day flew by and I ended up spending it all with Savannah, catching up on things and hanging out with her family. I found out that Xander was dating Peyton and who the little kids running around were. I met Deacon and Veronica, instantly realizing that they were right. My dad did make Veronica look like a Georgia peach, but she was still pretty scary. I liked Deacon though. He was funny. The kind of dad that I wished I had had growing up, but then again, he did send Savannah here all by herself. It made me wonder exactly what kind of dad he was. He seemed to care and love her so much and yet, he didn't care enough to keep her with him to protect her.

"Daddy, can we order pizza? I'm starved." Savannah asked as we watched some TV show that her dad liked.

I looked at the clock and realized it was already 7 pm. I hadn't even realized when it had gotten dark. The day had just flown by.

"You have a professional chef in the house. Why do you need pizza?" Deacon asked her.

"Cause maybe I don't feel like cooking." Mariah retorted, "Can we treat me like a person instead of the cook please?"

"He's just kidding Mariah." Savannah pushed her sister and smiled over at her dad, "Please?"

"Sure, order it and make sure you get me some of those cheese sticks."

"Yes sir." Savannah jumped up from her seat on the couch next to me and went to find a phone book and phone to place the order, "What does everyone want on their pizza?"

"Pineapple!" Mariah exclaimed while at the same time Xander answered with "Pepperoni."

"Eww to both." Savannah crinkled her nose at them and turned to me, "What about you Nate?"

"I should probably go." I had only one intent when I had driven into town this morning and that was to find my wife. Now it was night and I still hadn't seen her. I needed to find her.

Savannah pouted but didn't object. Her father however did.

"You should stay for dinner Nathan. There's a basketball game on and I know you share Savannah's love of the game. Maybe you can explain it to me."

It was hard to say no to such a request, especially from her father who seemed to radiate the kind of authority that you just can't say no to.

"I'm with Xander on the pepperoni." I turned to Savannah and said.

She grinned and sat down to place the order.

"Find your mother and ask her if she wants anything and find the other kids and ask them too." Deacon said.

"Do I have to?" Savannah whined.

"Yes."

"Daddy I…"

"Savannah Mercedes…"

She sighed again and stood back up, plopping the phone and phone book on my lap.

"I'll be back."

While she was out of the room no one really spoke. Xander's phone rang and he disappeared from the room to answer it. Deacon just continued to watch TV, unfazed while Mariah sat, grooming her nails.

"Why did you get married?" Mariah suddenly asked, looking over at me, "I've been thinking about it all afternoon but it doesn't make sense. A sixteen year old boy, or 17 now I'm guessing, marries while he's still in high school. Who does that and how? Did your parents sign or whatever it is parents have to do?"

Deacon was suddenly interested.

"I didn't know you're married."

"Um, yeah." I didn't like being put on the spot but I knew I wasn't going to get out of this, "Haley and I just knew that we were in love and we wanted to be together. I was already emancipated from my parents so I didn't need permission but her parents had to give their permission, which they did."

"Why do it so young though? I mean, presumably if you're in love in high school at 16 and you really think that you want to be with this person forever, then you know you're going to be together when you get out of high school. Why not just wait until you graduate high school at least?" Mariah continued the questioning.

What answer could I give her without making it sound ridiculous? There had been so many reasons why I married Haley and at the time, all had seemed valid. In my head, they still were, but none of them would make sense to Mariah and Deacon. They couldn't understand unless they knew Haley and I better than they did.

"It's really quiet in here. What are you doing to Nathan?" Savannah saved me by returning and interrupting my thought process.

"Mariah was asking him why he got married so young." Deacon answered, "We're not doing anything to him."

"That's a personal question and you barely know him." Savannah defended me, "Leave him alone. Nate, you don't have to answer."

"I don't have an answer. It felt right. That's all I can say."

"Does it still feel right?" Mariah asked.

"Mariah!" Savannah exclaimed, "Stop it. You're making him uncomfortable."

"It's ok." I assured Savannah with a smile, "Yes, it still feels right. I love Haley."

"Well that's good because she's on her way over." Xander announced, rejoining us, "Peyton, Brooke, Haley, and Lucas are on their way here. I slipped and mentioned Nathan being home."

No one said anything and I was pretty sure it was because none of us knew what to say. I knew that Haley wouldn't be happy with me spending the day here instead of finding her immediately. My intention had been to find her first, but I realized now that I had made a mistake in spending the day here instead. I knew that Savannah sat beside me pondering her future with Lucas too and what would happen when he got here.

"I guess I better order more pizza." Savannah sighed, picking up the phone and dialing the number, "Yes, I'd like to place an order for delivery."

The people arrived before the pizza and when they walked into the room, I could feel all eyes immediately on me.

"Welcome home Nathan." Lucas was the first to greet me and we hugged quickly before he moved to kiss Savannah softly.

I heard him whisper something to her but I was too distracted by Haley approaching me. I knew that everyone else was talking around us and I knew that there were people watching but the second I saw her all I could do was pull her into my arms and kiss her. Three months of pent up emotion surrounding our whole situation. She unfortunately, didn't kiss me back with quite the same amount of emotion.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, hoping no on else could hear us.

"Why are you here? Why did you spend your first day home with her?"

The look in her eyes told me she was hurt. I had a feeling she would be but my intentions had been in the right place when I had come here this morning. Unfortunately for me, they hadn't stayed that way as I stayed here all day long.

"I came here looking for you and then I ended up here all day. I went home and you weren't there. I thought maybe you'd be here cause I assumed you and Savannah would be friends by now and then we made cookies and I met her family and we watched TV and then suddenly it was 7 o clock." I kissed her softly one more time hoping she wouldn't pull away this time, "I missed you Hales."

She didn't pull away and my mood soared instantly, glad to be home and in my wife's arms. I didn't ever want to let her go again.

"We ordered pizza so hopefully everyone's hungry." Savannah announced to everyone.

Within 30 minutes everyone was settled in the living room with their pizza, even the other kids and Savannah's mother. We all watched the basketball game together, the guys and Savannah really the only people getting into it.

"Being cheerleaders, you'd think you'd be cheering more." Savannah teased Brooke and Peyton who were watching disinterestedly. Peyton seemed more interested in playing with Xander's fingernails.

"We cheer for people we know and love, not those guys." Brooke retorted, gesturing at the screen.

Savannah didn't laugh and I got the impression that the 'love' part fell closer to home then she wanted it to. Next to her, Lucas squeezed her hand reassuringly. I wasn't sure how things were going to work out with them, because it was still weird for me to even think of them as a couple, but I hoped Savannah would be ok with any outcome. I was thinking of her more and more as a really good friend and I didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Where are you gonna stay tonight? At home or did you wanna come to Luke and Karen's with me?" Haley asked while the rest of the rooms conversation went back to basketball.

"Whatever house we can have sex in." I replied instantly, kissing her, "I have three months of showing you how much I love you built up."

She grinned and laid her head on my shoulder.

We ended up at my house.


	11. Chapter 10: Where Do We Go From Here?

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update everyone. Real life is a bitch. Anyway, I thought I had already posted this chapter and apparently I haven't so, here it is. I have another chapter ready so it shouldn't be so long before another update. I'm really sorry. Hope ya'll are still reading. :) Enjoy.**

**Chapter Ten**

_**Where do we go from here?**_

**Lucas POV**

School was looming like the thought of an end of the earth catastrophe and I was not looking forward to it for the first time in years. I had always liked school. Haley and I had been that way. We looked forward to learning. It was the geek part of us. This year was no different for Haley who was consumed in making things right with Nathan. She had all but moved back into the Scott house with him and his parents. She spent most nights there but I knew that would change soon since they were finally apartment hunting again. That wasn't the point though. The point was I was not looking forward to school and I knew exactly why. There were two reasons and their names were Brooke and Savannah.

It wasn't that they weren't getting along. I didn't have that problem. Nate did, because Haley still didn't like Savannah, but I did not have that problem. It was worse for me. They were getting along great, despite the fact that Savannah was aware of the feelings I had for Brooke and Brooke knew that I wasn't gonna break up with Savannah. The pressure was killing me.

"Lucas, come on crazy. Let's go." Haley popped into my room and grinned at me even though I was sitting on my bed staring into space, "We're gonna be late for the bonfire."

"I can't do this." I knew I was being stupid but I put my head in my hands and groaned, "I just can't."

"Can't what? Go to the beach? It's dark vampire Luke. No sunshine rays to burn you to death. Come on." Haley moved into the room and tugged on my arm but I didn't move, "Luke, seriously. What's wrong?"

"I love her."

"Um… which her are we talking about today? Savannah or Brooke?"

That was the question of the week. My feelings flipped faster than the possession of a basketball in an NBA game. I couldn't make up my mind. Today though, today the her was Brooke.

"Brooke."

"Lucas, you have to snap out of this and just pick one seriously. You get more and more miserable every day and you keep…" Haley made wild hand gestures and groaned, "Flip flopping back and forth between them."

"Believe me Haley, I know. I just… I care about Savannah. I do. I don't want to hurt her but I really do love Brooke."

"Then choose Brooke."

I glared at her because she made it sound so simple. It was not that simple. There were people's feelings involved. When feeling's were involved, nothing was ever simple.

"Are you saying to choose Brooke because you don't like Savannah or because you really think I should choose Brooke?"

"Does the answer 'both' work for that question? Luke, you just said you love Brooke. Love is what matters and if you love Brooke, and Brooke loves you, then you should be together. And yeah… I don't like the Californian slut you call your girlfriend right now. I would like to see her be dumped. But ignore that fact." Haley sat down next to me on the bed and took my hand gently in her hand, squeezing it which was meant to reassure me, "Luke, you've been my best friend for a very long time. I trust you to make this decision and do that right thing, but if we don't leave this house in the next five seconds, I might kill you before you have the chance. Nathan is waiting for me. Let's go."

She pulled me off the bed and practically dragged me out the front door. I had the ten minute car ride to think about what I was going to do.

Much to Haley's disgust, when we arrived at the beach for the bonfire, Nathan was giving Savannah a piggy back ride around the site while she screamed happily. Brooke was nowhere in sight but that didn't mean she wasn't around. I didn't want to dump Savannah before I knew Brooke wanted this like I did, even though that sounded selfish of me.

"Hey, how about removing your girlfriend from my husband before I decapitate her?" Haley asked me sweetly.

She scared me sometimes when she got protective. I couldn't talk to Savannah yet though. I needed to find Brooke.

"Sorry Hales, I need to find Brooke first. Just go say hi. She'll get the point I'm sure."

Haley glared but sighed and headed that way. I went the opposite direction, hoping to find Brooke in the midst of cars parked in the area.

I recognized a lot of the people who were already there. The cheerleaders and a lot of the basketball team. I saw Skillz and the guys from the Rivercourt hanging out. Mouth and Erika looked as happy as ever which made me smile. Mouth was one guy who definitely deserved to be happy.

I finally found Brooke with Peyton at Peyton's car, trying to pull boxes of records from the back seat.

"Need some help?" I offered and they both looked up at me with smiles.

"Thanks Lucas." Brooke stepped out of the way and let me pick up the box from the car. She grinned at me the whole time and it made me feel good. This was the right decision. I could feel it.

"I uh, actually need to talk to you. After I drop this off, can you meet me up here to talk?"

Brooke raised a curious eyebrow but nodded.

"I'll wait right here."

I smiled at her and then headed off, following Peyton to the DJ booth.

"So, what's going on? You gonna do the ass thing and cheat on your girlfriend again?" Peyton asked as we walked.

"First of all, no and second of all, you really can't accuse me of anything because it was you I cheated with remember?"

"Yeah I know." Peyton smiled and winked, "But the guy is always the ass in that situation Luke. Haven't you learned anything?"

"Haha." I mock laughed and set my box of records down by her DJ booth, "Talked to Ellie lately?"

The subject of her birth mother was still a bit sore for her and she glared at me, not really getting mad but glaring nonetheless. We traded barbs like this a lot and I knew I wouldn't offend her.

"Seriously, what's the talk with Brooke? I just wanna know which of my friends I'm gonna have to console at this party."

I sighed.

"I just wanna make sure she feels the way I do. Then I'm gonna dump Savannah."

In true Savannah form, she picked that moment to run over to us and hug me.

"Hey sexy, I thought I saw you. Why didn't you come say hi?" She questioned.

"I told Peyton I'd help her carry her records." I was only half lying to her, "She's got one more box so I'm gonna go grab it."

"Ok." Savannah grinned, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me softly, "I have an idea I think you might like. Come find me when you're done."

"Ok."

I unwrapped her from my neck and headed back towards Peyton's car leaving her and Peyton at the DJ booth. The night was going to get messy and I could feel it. I didn't want it to, but I knew it would. You can't break up with one girl and get together with another one in one night without a mess.

"Hey." I approached Brooke who was sitting on the hood of Peyton's car.

"Hey." She replied.

There was silence between us for a minute before I got the nerve to begin talking.

"I um… This situation sucks right? I mean, with you leaving and when you get back I'm with another girl and all this stuff… it sucks."

"Yeah." Brooke had the confused look on her face that she got whenever she had no clue what I was talking about.

"I just… I don't like the situation either. If I had known that you were coming home or knew that you still had feelings for me, I would have never…"

"It's cool Lucas. You don't have to apologize for moving on. I had no right to expect you to just wait for me all summer without even the slightest hint that I felt the same way."

"But I didn't move on Brooke."

There it was. The truth. I hadn't moved on at all. I had just filled in the spot with someone else. If Brooke had never come back, I probably would have moved on for real, but she was back and therefore my heart would not move on when it could have what it really wanted.

"I still love you. I just wanted to know that you felt the same way before I tell Savannah."

She was visibly stunned. Silence was not something anyone could illicit from Brooke on a regular basis. But here she was, silent.

"I feel the same way Lucas." Brooke admitted it, she loved me too. "But we can't do this to Savannah. She's my friend."

"I think it's gonna be ok though. That night that you came back and we had dinner at her parents house?"

"Yeah."

I had never said anything to anyone about what Savannah had said to me because I had been so torn between the two since then, but I needed Brooke to know that Savannah would be ok with this.

"She told me that night that if I was still in love with you, all I had to do was say the word. And maybe that was her way of being tough and pretending she didn't care, but I really think she's gonna be ok if we do this. You don't know her the way I do, but she's strong. She'll be ok."

Brooke was very hesitant. I knew she was hesitating because of Savannah but there was something else in her eyes. Another hesitation and it was the same one that had been there at the beginning of the summer. She didn't trust me.

"Give me a chance to prove that you can trust me again." I could only think of one way to really show her how I felt and that required being closer to her. A lot closer.

I lifted her chin so our eyes could lock. She was close to tears but she smiled slightly, knowing what was coming next. I moved in slightly and kissed her, barely a brush of our lips against the other, but a soft, sensuous kiss to tell her how much she meant to me.

"I don't want her to hate me." She whispered against my lips, "I like her."

"I like her too." I whispered back, "It'll be ok. I promise."

It wasn't a promise I could really make but I made it anyway, hoping that I wouldn't break it.

"Ok, then you should tell her." Brooke agreed, "Tell her so we can give this another try."

"Ok." I kissed her one more time and felt myself begin to smile, "I'm gonna go find her. I'll find you later."

"Ok."

I left the car and headed back to the party, bumping into Savannah when I was almost all the way back. She raised an eyebrow at me as if something was wrong and I suddenly hoped I didn't have lipstick on or something to alarm her.

"Where's the box you went to get?" She asked.

Crap. I had told her there was another box.

"Um… there wasn't another box." All I could do was be honest with her at this point. Now was a good a time as any to talk to her I suppose, "I need to talk to you."

"Don't." She sighed and took a moment to just look at me, "Don't make this into a big deal. We both knew it was coming. Just let it end."

"Um…" I wasn't sure what she meant, but it sounded like a good idea, although I had expected to be saying something like that to her instead, "That night at your house. You told me that if I still loved Brooke, all I had to do was say the word."

"And now you are." Savannah nodded in full comprehension, "I knew you'd say it eventually. I expected you to say it the night Nathan returned and instead you told me you loved me. I suspected that was just to keep me around until you figured things out. It's ok Luke. I'm not stupid and I'm not gonna try to stand in the way. Be with her."

"She doesn't want you to be mad at her. She likes having you as a friend."

"You'll both still be my friends." Savannah grinned, "I'm serious Luke, I was expecting this. I'm cool with it. You'll be happier."

I hadn't expected it to be that easy. I hoped it would be, but I hadn't expected it. She was letting me off the hook without even a real explanation.

"You can yell at me if you want to." I assured her, pulling her into my arms for a relieved hug.

She laughed and hugged me back.

"Good luck Lucas. Brooke is a firecracker. She may even have more spunk than me. You're gonna have your hands full."

"Trust me I know." I let her pull out of the hug and smiled at her, wanting to kiss her just one last time, "Thank you."

She let me kiss her softly and then pulled away with a wave and smile, walking away.

"You're welcome!"


	12. Chapter 11: One's Over, One's Beginning

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still reading. I know I haven't been the greatest about updating regularly but you guys are awesome for sticking around. This next chapter, I have to warn you, is very sexually graphic. I wanted this to be the first time you see a real sex scene and I think the way it came out, even as graphic as it is, was awesome. Thanks to my friend Kate who actually wrote the love scene for me. You rock!**

**Chapter Eleven**

_**One is Over, One is Just Beginning**_

**Peyton POV**

With Lucas and Brooke clearly showing the fact that they were back together, walking around hand in hand at the bonfire, I knew that it couldn't be easy for Savannah. The girl always acted like nothing bothered her, but I knew it did. She had been dating Lucas for 3 months. She wasn't immune. She cared for him more than she let on which is why I was now searching for her. I hadn't seen her at the bonfire in hours.

"Where ya goin?" Xander asked me as I moved to head up the beach towards the cars. He grabbed me by the waist and swung me around in the other direction, kissing me softly.

I still had no idea where things stood with Xander and I even though I definitely liked him and I knew he liked me. He had been in town for almost a full week and was planning on leaving within a few days and yet we hadn't talked about what we wanted to do about us. I wanted to have that talk. Right now just wasn't the time.

"I'm gonna look for your sister. She disappeared and well, you may have noticed Lucas and Brooke's lip locking over there. I wanna make sure she's ok."

Xander's eyes went to where Brooke and Lucas were standing and his eyes narrowed.

"I'll kill him if he hurt my sister."

"Xander…" I grabbed his arm before he could go charging after Lucas and pulled him back in my direction, "Let's find Savannah and ask her what's going on before you kill someone ok? She might be fine."

"If she was fine she'd be at the party. Savannah does not miss a good party."

I had felt the same way which was why I had been on my way to look for her. If I told him that though, he'd probably go hurt Luke and that wasn't allowed tonight.

"Come on. Let's find her car so we know if she's still here."

Xander reluctantly followed me up the beach and after a few minutes of searching we found Savannah's car… with her in it.

I knocked softly on the passenger side window and she looked over at me. She didn't look like she had been crying but she did have a vacant look in her eyes. When she unlocked the doors I slid into the front passenger seat and Xander into the back, both of us closing the doors behind us.

There were a few quiet moments before anyone spoke.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not." Xander retorted without a seconds hesitation, "What happened?"

"It's not a big deal." Savannah stared straight ahead, looking out over the beach and the water.

"If it's not a big deal, why are you in your car? Why aren't you at the party?" I questioned her and she turned to me, giving me a dirty look.

"I got cold."

"It's 70 degrees outside Savannah. Cut the bullshit. Did he hurt you?" Xander was one to get straight to the point. Usually I was too, but I was trying to be sensitive about the subject with her. Apparently he just wanted to hurt Lucas.

Beside me Savannah took a deep breath and let it out slowly, making sure not to make eye contact with either Xander or I when she spoke.

"I told him to be with her. He was gonna break up with me anyway so I just told him that it was fine and he should be with her."

"But it's not fine. You're upset." I wasn't usually very good with the comforting thing but I had to try. Savannah had been a great friend over the summer.

"I'll be ok." She seemed to be trying not to cry, "I don't know why I'm upset. I mean, it was a summer fling right? All we did was have sex and… he's just another guy. I shouldn't care."

"Want me to hurt him?" Xander offered and Savannah grinned, wiping away the one tear that had managed to escape.

"No, but thanks Xander. Seriously guys, I'm ok. You should be out there enjoying the party."

"So should you."

Savannah looked over at me and smiled, nodding slowly.

"I'll go if you do."

"Deal." We shook hands on it and all three of us exited the car, locking it behind us as we headed back to the party.

Xander and I sandwiched Savannah between us and hugged her, hoping to make her feel a little better before she returned.

"If you want me to hurt him, the offer is always there." Xander offered one last time and Savannah laughed loudly, seemingly turning back into her carefree self.

"Really Xander, there is no reason to hurt anyone tonight."

We were all laughing when we got back. Shortly after returning Nathan pulled Savannah onto the dance floor with him, not to Haley's delight who instead joined Lucas and Brooke on the sidelines. The three of them seemed to be talking but I really didn't want to know what about. Drama was sure to ensue.

"Wanna dance?" Xander offered me his hand and I smiled up at him.

"I'm the DJ. I need to get back to the music."

"I think you've been replaced." Xander motioned to the DJ booth where Mouth had indeed taken over. I laughed and sighed.

"Well, then I guess I can dance with you if you insist."

"I definitely insist." Xander pulled me into his arms and onto the dance floor. Despite the fact that the song was a fast song, he held me close and danced with me as if we were the only two on the beach.

I felt myself falling for Xander more and more every single day. I knew I shouldn't. He followed the pattern. Everybody leaves and he would be leaving within days. Who knew when he'd be back.

"Do you have to go back to Spain?" I heard myself asking.

I sounded so pitiful. I was asking this guy who wasn't even really my boyfriend to stay in a city he didn't even know that well.

"Unfortunately gorgeous, I do have to go back." Xander pulled me tighter to his chest as if he never wanted to let go and I felt him kiss the top of my head, "I wish I didn't. If I had a choice I'd stay here with you forever."

Maybe I wasn't so pitiful. He certainly made it sound like he was my boyfriend. He had told me that he didn't do long distance relationships though. That didn't sound good for us.

"When do you think you'll be back?"

He took a little longer to answer this time.

"As long as everything goes well, I can be back in two weeks. Is that too long?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He pulled away slightly and looked down at me with a smile. His eyes reflected the fire's light and to me he had never looked sexier.

"You want to drop out of high school and go with me?"

I laughed and shook my head no.

"I'd love to go with you but I can't drop out. My dad would kill me. Besides, then who would look after your sister and make sure she stays out of trouble?"

"Good point." Xander laughed and sighed, pulling me back against his chest, "You know, we haven't known each other that long but this last week, I feel like I've known you forever. I don't want to leave you."

"I know how you feel."

It was rare to find a guy so honest. The only other guy who had ever been this way with me was… I didn't want to think about that because it made this seem less real. That was all in the past. This was now.

"So, two weeks then. I'll be back in two weeks."

"I'll be here."

We seemed to share a moment then, dancing in silence. His hands were resting on the small of my back, my head on his shoulder. We didn't need to talk anymore because anything worth discussing had been discussed. He knew pretty much all about me since we had spent every night together for the past week. We had talked all night almost every night. He didn't push the sexual aspect and I didn't want to. We were getting to know each other and it was going great.

"You wanna get out of here?" I pulled away from the embrace we were in and smiled up at him, "Go back to my house?"

Xander cocked an eyebrow at me and then pulled me away from the party, up to his car.

"Where did that come from?" He asked, stopping us at the front of the car.

"I don't know." I shrugged, "I don't know Xander. We've talked about everything over the last week. You know all about me. My past and my present. Things that I haven't told anyone, not even Brooke and I just feel… I really like you and you're leaving in a few days. I just want to make sure this is real. I want to feel it."

"Peyton…" Xander caressed the side of my face with his hand and sighed, "We don't have to have sex to make this real. It's real. I'm falling for you. I'm falling fast and I think you feel the same way. I hope you are."

It was happening incredibly fast. Meeting him and getting to know him and falling for him… it was all happening in one swift motion.

"I am." I assured him, reaching up and kissing him, "I feel the same way."

We moved to the side of the Range Rover and I felt my back being pressed against the door, Xander in front of me, kissing me with more passion than I had ever felt. His thumbs were pressing against my hips and moving in circular motions. This wasn't convincing me not to take him home and make love to him, it was pushing me further to do it.

"Seriously." I was breathing heavily when I broke away from his lips for a moment, "Let's get out of here."

"We came in separate cars." He replied. His own breath was labored and the passion in his eyes only carried me further.

"That can be fixed." I quickly pulled out my cell phone and dialed Luke's phone. I knew he'd take care of my car and the keys were already in it, where I always left them, "Luke, I'm leaving my car here. Drive it home yeah? No, to your house. It doesn't matter. Just don't come to my house."

I hung up and pulled Xander back in to kiss him.

"Taken care of. Let's go."

We were in the car in a split second, our hands intertwined as he drove. At every stop light he would pull me over and kiss me, then shift his eyes back to the road. He kept pulling my hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. The car ride just built up the passion and as soon as we had parked at my house we were kissing again, stumbling into the house and shutting the door behind us. Xander pushed me up against the wall and pulled my shirt over my head, his lips moving over my shoulders and neck. He knew exactly where to touch me to drive me crazy. Within seconds I was writhing beneath his fingertips, every inch of my body alive with renewed sensibility.

"Let's go upstairs."

The light was off in my room but we didn't bother to turn it on. Xander picked me up in his arms and laid me down on the bed gently, pulling his own shirt over his head and tossing it to the side before he joined me.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered. He hovered over me, bracing his weight on his arms. He looked so sexy just staring at me that I couldn't resist the smile that took over my features.

We'd been waiting for this moment for too long, and now that it was upon us, we both seemed hesitant.

"You… okay?" It made my stomach flutter when he stammered mid-sentence as he tried desperately to find something to say next.

He smiled at me, still studying my face with his huge blue eyes. I put my arms around him and snuggled close to him. It felt so good to be held. I could feel his heart pounding.

My arms still around him, I drew back and smiled at him, kissing him gently on the mouth. He sucked in air rapidly then began to kiss me back. I opened my mouth and slipped my tongue in to touch his. My arms wrapped tightly around his broad shoulders while we kept kissing. His hands slid underneath my back, resting on my ass and pulling me harder against him.

My insides were quivering. I wanted him, but was it too soon? We'd really only been together for a week, even though I had known from the first day we met that there was an irresistible attraction between us. And like I had wondered before, he wasn't even really my boyfriend.

"Make love to me tonight," I pleaded in a whisper. "Xander, please make love to me."

"Yes," he whispered back. "Oh God, yes."

I kissed him again, then began slowly undressing him, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off while I kissed the soft white skin of his chest. My tongue licked both his nipples, and I lay my head down on his muscular chest as it heaved up and down rapidly. Kneeling next to him on the bed while I leaned over him, he stared up at me, touching my face softly, and I returned his stare. My fingers lightly ran over his ribs, and I kissed each one.

Slowly moving south, teasing, I stuck my tongue in his belly button. I kissed the baby fine hairs below his navel. They ran in a streak down into his jeans. My lips traveled all over his stomach, and his hips. I finished unbuttoning his jeans, and he lifted up so I could pull them off. He was hard and I could see his penis sticking out through the small hole in his boxers, juices dripping down the tip.

I crawled between his spread thighs, supporting myself above him, and kissing him again. I touched his face lightly, and smiled at him in the darkness. He stroked my hair, and nodded his reassurance. I went back down.

His underwear off completely, I began teasing him as his breathing became even more coarse and rapid. I began licking his thighs and then kissing his pubic hair as his penis rubbed in my long hair. He stared at me, his eyes glassy and he groaned. I knew I was driving him crazy. I looked up at him; our eyes locked.

"Please Peyt," he whispered hoarsely, begging me for more.

I continued kissing his thighs, then moved my head up and let my tongue slightly touch his warm balls. He gasped, his hips jerking up. I swallowed one of his balls while he moaned and then I slid my tongue up the length of his long hard dick.

"OhmyGod, ohmyGod," he yelled, as his whole body stiffened, "Peyton!"

He gasped faintly as his sperm exploded into my mouth and down my throat. His hips were lifted off the bed completely as he tried desperately to get as deep as he could. He came so much I couldn't handle it all and it seeped out of the corners of my mouth. With one final groan he collapsed on the bed and tried to catch his breath. His expression told me all I needed to know. I grinned.

I crawled up to him and laid next to him putting my head on his chest and hugging him while he stroked my hair. He looked over at me first, then leaned over and kissed me, first my neck and then moving to my breasts.

Xander looked down at my body. Despite the fact that he'd been staying here all week, it was really the first time he'd seen me entirely naked. He started by gently tonguing my nipples and kissing my chest all over, then began sucking on them. I gasped aloud and moaned when his tough fingers found my clitoris, and he quickly looked up in surprise.

"Do you like that?" he asked in delight.

I couldn't speak so I just nodded, taking in the pleasure and feel of him fondling me.

"Here?" he asked, curious, rubbing my clit.

I arched my bank in answer, pushing his fingers harder into me. I saw him smile and continue his ministrations.

Happy where he was, he continued sucking my breasts and finger fucking me while his thumb rolled over my clit. Spreading my legs apart, I gently pushed him lower and lifted one knee up. His hard penis stuck out like a pole from his belly as he repositioned

himself between my legs.

I gasped in pleasure when his wet mouth found my vagina his tongue slipping in and out, exploring my insides.

"Oh God Xander, don't stop."

He kept sucking and licking me and pretty soon the room began to spin.

"Ohhh, I'm cumming. I'm cumming!" I shrieked while every nerve in my body danced.

My heart rate slowed as my orgasm subsided. I motioned for him to move up which he did as he began kissing me. Instinctively I spread my legs apart and whispered in his ear, "Xander, please, I need you now. . . "

He didn't think twice before he was on top of me, one arm supporting him and the other guiding his swollen penis into my opening. He searched for the entrance, then eased in the head before shoving the entire length of his dick into me while we both gasped in pleasure.

He lay on top of me and thrust his dick in deeper and deeper, banging against my cervix while I cried out in exquisite pain.

"Peyton I'm cumming," he gasped into my ear.

Moments later, he collapsed onto me, both of us overcome from the orgasms we'd just experienced. I held him in my arms and kissed him, silently thanking him for the pleasure he was giving me.

I snuggled up close to him underneath the covers. We kissed and rubbed each other and giggled. We lay on our sides facing each other, our hips pressing together. His dick soon stiffened again, poking against me. He grinned then rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him.

"Now it's your turn to do the work." He teased letting his hands roam over my back and buttocks as he stared into my eyes. I wanted to reply but the heat building between us overcame me. I spread my legs and guided him in, sitting up and riding him while he lay back with a huge smile on his face.

It wasn't long before I got tired and needed a change in positions so I crawled off of him and lay on my side with my back to his chest. I pulled his glistening dick between my legs, our hands meeting down there as both of us together put his long dick into my vagina. He began thrusting into me rapidly from behind, grunting his approval. His hands found my clit which he played with, his dick in me all the way. I could hear him breathing and groaning in my ear sensually and I could feel his orgasm beginning to build inside me again.

I returned to rocking him back and forth, all of it becoming too much for me. His fingers pressed into my clit bringing me closer to the edge with every touch.

"Ohh, Ohh! Yes!" I breathed, "I'm cumming, Xander…"

I ground my hips into him violently, trying to milk every ounce of pleasure from him that I could. He groaned loudly as my vagina spasmed several times, clenching his dick tightly. I was completely spent, collapsed against him, breathing hard and loud.

"That was great Xander, really great. . . " I murmured, moving my arm a little so I could see him.

I saw him smile and move, turning me over to face him. He looked deep into my eyes, clearly content and he kissed me. The one kiss said so much and so little all at the same time. Even after all that we had just done, all we had just declared with our bodies, I still wasn't sure where we stood. I knew he wanted me and I knew that he was coming back in two weeks to see me, but I did not know how he felt or how I really felt.

"What are you thinking about?" Xander asked, brushing a strand of my hair out of my face so that he had an unobstructed view of my face.

I shrugged. I didn't really want to tell him because I didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Stuff."

"Stuff is not an answer Peyton." He laughed and kissed me softly again, "Tell me. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid." I objected, "I'm…"

I wasn't sure what I was exactly.

"I love you." He whispered and he pulled me closer to his body, "I know it's really soon and we've only been seeing each other for a week, but I love you. I think I have since I saw you watching me through the window the first night we met."

That was definitely not what I had expected him to say.

"You have nothing to worry about Peyton. So what are you thinking?" He asked again.

I could say one thing for sure. Whatever I was thinking before didn't matter now. He loved me. That pretty much answered all the questions I had.

"Nothing." I smiled and pressed my body against him feeling our nakedness collide all over again, "It doesn't matter because I love you too."

His grin lit up the room and I found myself being smothered with kisses, not just on my lips, but all over my body. His hands clutched my body to his and his lips explored me. I was happy. I was content. I was ready to love again, in every sense of the word.


	13. Chapter 12: Back to School

**A/N: Oh where, oh where has my Petra gone? LOL. Thanks for the reviews guys. Here's the next chapter. It's very humorous compared to last chapter so I hope you guys like it. New chapter soon, I promise. Oh, and this chapter has a new character in it. I don't know if I've told you guys what everyone is supposed to look like but for reference Savannah is Adriana Lima, Xander is Channing Tatum, and the new character Camille is Karolina Kurkova. You can look them up if you'd like.**

**Chapter Twelve**

_**Back to School**_

**Savannah POV**

The first day of school. It had come up so fast. The summer was over, as was my relationship with Lucas, and we were all set to start school. The endless boredom of teacher lectures and assignments given just to keep us busy. For me all of this was usually set off by basketball but this year would be different. There was no basketball. There was no boyfriend. There was just school, and well, I had friends, but they were all busy with their own lives.

"You're probably tired of me talking about it, but I still can't believe how perfect Xander is. Are you sure he's your brother?" Peyton chided as we walked across the parking lot together.

For the millionth time since the Back to School bonfire a few days before I had to laugh and nod at Peyton's crazy antics. She wouldn't stop talking about him which was all at once good and bad. It meant she and my brother were happy. It also meant they'd had sex and I didn't need to know about their sex life. He was my brother after all.

"You think Brooke and Lucas are here yet?" I changed the subject scanning the surroundings for any sign of my ex-boyfriend.

"No. Brooke never shows up to the first day of school on time." Peyton replied slinging her arm over my shoulder and pulling me close to her, "Are you sure you're ok with them dating? I mean, he could be a bit more sensitive about your feelings in all of this. I'll beat him up if I need to."

She really was hanging out with Xander too much. All this talk of beating.

"No, I mean, it bothers me, sure. I was just having sex with the boy a few days ago so it's a little weird but they love each other right? And I can't stand in the way of love. Besides, there has to be other guys at this school worth my time. Not all the good ones can be taken."

"I am definitely not. You want my number?" Skillz showed up on my other side without warning, slinging his arm around my waist and making me laugh out loud.

"Skillz, I am not dating you."

"Why not? I'm better at basketball than Lucas and sexier too." He jumped in front of me and walked backwards while I continued on, "Don't you think so?"

"Definitely." I laughed and nodded, rolling my eyes so he knew I was joking, "You're too short baby."

"Too short?" Skillz stepped to the side and stopped, letting Peyton and I pass and leave him behind, "That's cruel Savannah. It's not my fault I'm not taller."

"It's not my fault I am!" I called back and with that, Peyton and I reached the main school building, entering as we laughed loudly.

"That was killer." Peyton shoved me playfully and led me around the corner to a row of lockers, "Your locker is next to mine right?"

"I think so. 34B?"

"I'm 34C." Peyton grinned.

"We should switch. You can have your cup size and I'll be one step closer to mine."

"You bitch." Peyton was laughing loudly as she pushed me again, making me run into the lockers that were ours as we arrived.

"Careful now Peyton, don't injure my friend." Nathan joined us in the hallway and laughed as Peyton and I pretended to fight, "Seriously guys, you're blocking my way to my locker."

"Yeah?" I stopped fighting for a second to look over at him, "Which one is yours?"

"34A."

"See Peyton it's perfect cause that's his cup size."

The look on Nathan's face couldn't have been more perfect as he fell speechless and Peyton and I burst into laughter.

"So what you're trying to say is that your locker should be 34D, I should be 34B and Nathan's perfect at 34A?" Peyton giggled.

"Yes." I nodded, "Cup size is key."

"No way are you 34D." Nathan shook his head at Peyton and I while he spun the combination on his locker and opened it easily.

"Yes I am." I frowned at him, "How would you know? You don't have boobs Nate. You have no idea what cup size is."

"I'm married Savannah. Trust me, I'm aware of cup size."

Peyton and I wrinkled our noses and then began to laugh again as we went to work opening our lockers.

"Well, I am a D cup. Not 34, but the D part." I replied.

"Come here. Let me inspect." Nathan teased.

"Inspect what?" Haley had suddenly joined the group, her books in her arm and her face, clearly not amused.

Peyton and I fell into laughter all over again as Nathan looked horrified.

"What were you planning on inspecting?" Haley questioned him again, her eyebrows raised.

"It's nothing Hales." Nathan tried to just get out of it easily, "We were just joking around about our locker numbers."

"Going with that joke, Haley should technically have 34C. Then it'd be perfect." I looked at Peyton who was mouthing shut up to me but I couldn't resist, "Right Nate? You'd know."

Nathan didn't answer. He grabbed his book from his locker and slammed it shut, glaring at me. I knew he wasn't really mad but he was gonna get shit about this from Haley.

"Come on Haley. We have first together right?" He took her hand in his and led her away from Peyton and I mouthing a silently sarcastic thanks to me.

Haley shot daggers at me with her eyes every second until she was out of eyesight.

"You're gonna end up getting him in trouble you know." Peyton said when they were gone, "Haley really doesn't like you."

"Well then that's her problem. I didn't do anything to her. She just hates me for being friends with Nate and that's a stupid reason to hate someone. If anyone was going to hate someone around here, there are better options. Hell, my boyfriend just dumped me to get with his ex."

"You don't hate me do you?" Brooke approached to my right and I sighed. People needed to stop sneaking up into my conversations.

"No Brooke, it was jus a point I was making. There's no reason for Haley to hate me. At least if someone's going to do some hating around here, there should be a valid reason."

Brooke didn't look convinced and I had to hug her to reassure her.

"I don't hate you Brooke. Lucas and I were a summer fling. He loves you. I'm fine with that." It wasn't a lie. I was happy for them. I just wasn't happy for me.

"Ok, cause I don't want you to be mad at me. We didn't plan for this."

"It's fine baby." I kicked my locker shut and continued to hug Brooke as the three of us walked down the hallway together, "Everything is completely ok."

The first bell of the day rang signaling that we had exactly five minutes before we had to be in our first class. Brooke, Peyton, and I pulled out our schedules and smiled. We all had first period English Literature together.

Just as we were entering the classroom and taking our seats there was a loud buzzing noise and a voice came over the intercom system.

"Savannah Carter, please report to the main office. Savannah Carter to the main office."

"You're in trouble already see." Peyton teased me and I sighed.

I picked up my book and rolled my eyes at her and Brooke who were laughing quietly.

"I guess I'll see you guys later."

The teacher gave me a hall pass and I headed for the main office which I knew was at the other end of the building. I wasn't sure what they wanted me for. I hadn't done anything wrong that I knew of. I had picked up my books and my class schedule. They had verified all of my transcripts with my parents before they had left a couple days ago. There wasn't a single thing that I could think of that the office would need me for.

"Have a seat Ms. Carter. The principal will be out in a minute." The office secretary told me when I got there.

The chairs were hard and cold which made me even more uncomfortable. I just wanted to be done with this and back in class. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed English.

"Ms. Carter…" The principal called out to me before I could even see him and I stood up, completely surprised when I saw who was standing with him as he walked out of his office, "I believe you know Ms. Stevens."

Camille Lynette Stevens, my best friend in the whole wide world, who I thought was in California. Camille was standing with our principal. Camille was coming out of the principal's office. What could this possibly mean?

"Oh my God Cammie, what are you doing here?" I didn't hesitate to meet them halfway, throwing my arms around Camille as we both squealed happily.

"I'm gonna go to school here. I wanted to surprise you. I convinced my parents to let me move here too so I could be close to you. It took all summer but they finally caved. Aren't you excited?"

"Yes!" I was beyond excited. I was ecstatic. This was the best surprise I had ever gotten in my life, "So… wow. You go to school here then?"

"She starts classes today, just like you and the rest of the students. I believe the two of you have first period together so I figured you could show her where it is."

Camille showed me her schedule and sure enough, she was in first period English Lit. with Brooke, Peyton, and I.

"Awesome. I can definitely do that. Come on." I pulled her from the office, making a quick stop by her locker which was unfortunately not near mine. When we had dropped off all her books but one, we headed to class.

"I'm so glad I'm here." Camille wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me as we walked, "This town is so cool."

"You are so weird. When I first moved here I thought that it was so tiny and I was gonna hate it."

"Yeah, but I've already heard about it from you. I have a different perspective and I love it. It's cute."

All I could do was shake my head at her as we reached our destination and went inside. Camille handed her schedule to the teacher who added her to the class roster and then told us to take our seats. Luckily my seat near Peyton and Brooke was still open and there was an empty one right next to it.

"First day of classes so I thought we'd take it easy. Everyone has received a syllabus. Savannah and Camille please just look on with someone near you until we can get more copies made. Let's just go over it briefly."

Camille and I moved our desks up so that we were each situated on one side of Brooke or Peyton and we laughed. Brooke pulled out a piece of paper and began to write me a note.

"Who's the new girl?" She wrote and I replied quickly.

"Camille. She's my best friend from California."

"Ooh cool. What's she doing here?"

"She moved here to be closer to me. Isn't that awesome?"

"Yeah. If I had stayed in California, do you think Peyton would have moved to be closer to me?"

"No. She was too busy being my new best friend and obsessing over my brother."

Brooke pouted and drew a sad face on the paper. I had to laugh as I passed the note over to Peyton and Camille so that they could read it. They laughed too and the teacher gave the four of us a stern look so we immediately shut up.

After class we headed out into the hallways and immediately Brooke and Peyton had questions.

"So what brings you to Tree Hill? You didn't get kicked out of school over there too did you?" Peyton asked Camille.

"No. I just have always hated that school and without Savannah it wasn't worth it. Her parents and my parents are really close friends so it just took a bit of convincing and then they finally let me move here to be closer to my best friend. It also helps that my brother's in college a few hours away so they felt better that if anything happened to me he could come rescue me."

"I feel so short walking with you guys." Brooke said suddenly, "I mean, Peyton's always been a little taller than me but this is like hanging out with Luke… only you're girls and I don't want to have sex with you."

"Good to know." I laughed, looking between the four of us and realizing Camille and I really were a lot taller. The two of us were wearing flip flops while Brooke had on heels and she was still the shortest in the bunch, "I never even noticed how tall we are. Cammie, how tall are you?"

"5'11."

"Wow, you are the same height as Luke. I'm 5'10 so just slightly shorter." I shrugged and smiled down at Brooke, "We still love you though."

Brooke sighed.

"Oh well. One day I will be a famous clothing designer and then you two will be my models and it will all be worth it."

"Speaking of being a model," Camille interjected, "Kaycee and I were hanging out at the mall last week before I moved and this guy came over to us and handed us his card. He wanted us to consider being models with his agency and of course, you know Kaycee, all she cares about is getting a basketball scholarship and playing in the WNBA one day so she threw it away, but I was thinking, I might actually meet with this guy. He's in New York so I could go up there one of these weekends and meet with him. Modeling wouldn't be so bad right? It's not like I really have plans for after high school anyway."

"Who's Kaycee?" Peyton asked as we finally made it to our lockers to get our books. Brooke and Camille stood behind us as we opened them since their lockers were in another area.

"I played basketball with Kaycee in California. She, Camille, this other girl Shannon, and I have been friends practically forever. Camille was the only one of us that didn't play basketball." I explained.

"I didn't like it." Camille shrugged, "I was still at every game though. I cheered for you."

"Cause you're a cheerleader." I stuck my tongue out at her and laughed, "Brooke and Peyton are cheerleader's too though, so you're in good company. Brooke's the captain so you already know who you need to talk to about getting on the squad here."

"Yeah, actually we do need a few girls this year. We had a couple of the seniors graduate last year so we need to replace them." Brooke smiled at Camille, "We're gonna set up tryouts for next week and as long as you're good you're in."

"Thanks." Camille smiled back at her, "I think I'm gonna like it here."

"What do you have next period Cammie?"

"Umm…" Camille pulled out her schedule and looked over it while the rest of us did the same to compare, "Trigonometry."

"I have AP Biochem." I sighed, "I hate science. Why would they put me in an advanced science class?"

"Cause you're good at it." Camille replied quickly, "Peyton, Brooke? What do you guys have?"

"We're in Trig with you. We better get going. Bye Savannah!"

"Bye!"

Unfortunately for me, I walked into my class a few minutes later and found that the only people I knew in it were Haley and Lucas. This was going to be fun.

I tried to walk past them without a word but Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me back to talk to him.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked.

"No."

"Then why didn't you even say hi? We haven't talked since the bonfire."

"You're with someone else Luke. We don't have to talk everyday anymore." I know I sounded irritated and I didn't mean to be but I also knew that Haley wanted to kill me right now, "We'll talk ok? Right now I just want to get a seat."

He let me go but he didn't look happy about it. Luckily the class bell rang then and the teacher came into the room. After a quick introduction from our teacher and the handing out of our syllabus's the teacher announced that she would now be picking lab partners for us. She had previously placed all our names in a hat and drawn them out in pairs. As she began to read out the names I could feel the impending doom. This was not going to end well.

"Haley James-Scott and Savannah Carter."

And there it was. The teacher might as well have condemned me to death. It was the same thing because the look Haley gave me would have killed me on the spot if looks could kill.

"Ok, that's everyone. Move your seats around to sit with your partner. These will be your seats for the rest of the semester and I expect you to be in them every day, on time, and ready to work."

Lucas stood up and hugged Haley before he went to sit with his new lab partner. I sighed and moved into his empty spot at the table with Haley, dreading whatever it was that she would say to me. It wasn't that I was afraid to face her, or that I regretted anything I had said or done up to this point, but I did not deserve or want to be the reason she and Nathan got a divorce. I felt like she was trying to make me that excuse.

"Look, I need this class to get into Stanford so don't mess this up for me. You pull your own and we won't have any problems, got it?"

"Oh, so as long as I pull my own in this class you'll quit hating me for being friends with Nathan?" I retorted.

Haley's eyes narrowed and I have the feeling she would have slapped me if the teacher hadn't joined us then.

"Something wrong girls?" She asked.

"Nothing." Haley smiled sweetly and the teacher nodded, walking away and back to the front of the classroom to address the class.

After the teacher began to talk Haley leaned close to me and whispered one last menacing threat.

"Stay away from Nathan or you're gonna wish you had stayed in California."

"Newsflash Haley, I already wish I had stayed in California. You need to get over this anger issue you have with me or do something about it."

That seemed to shut her up and even though she was still glaring, she turned to her book and instead of facing me anymore, she looked over her syllabus and made notes.

I was thankful for the end of the class 45 minutes later and I quickly grabbed my stuff, rushing out of the classroom before either Haley or Lucas could say anything else to me.

"You're in a rush to get somewhere quickly." Nathan said as I exited the classroom.

I groaned but stopped to talk to him.

"Your wife hates me." I didn't wanna talk too long or she'd be exiting the classroom too.

"What happened?" Nathan was clearly concerned, "What'd she say?"

"It doesn't matter Nate. I gotta go." I sighed. I really didn't want to get into it at that point, "Hey, my best friend from California surprised me this morning by moving here and starting school here so I want you to meet her later ok?"

"Yeah." Nathan nodded and watched as I began to walk away, "I'll see you at lunch!"

I nodded this time and headed off to my next class. I didn't need a book because this period I was a teacher's aid.

I walked into the classroom and recognized from the décor that it had to be a history class. The teacher was an older man, bald and kinda plump. He seemed nice enough though.

"Um… Mr. Durham? I'm Savannah Carter. I'm the teacher's aid this period."

He turned to me and looked me over, more assessing me than checking me out thankfully. He nodded and handed me a roster of students he was supposed to have in this class.

"You can start by taking attendance after the bell rings. I'll find more for you to do later."

"Ok."

I set my stuff down to the side and held the roster while I waited for all the students to file in. Much to my amusement Nathan filed in right as the bell rang and I laughed.

"Thought I wasn't gonna see you until lunch." I teased him.

He smiled.

"You have this class too?"

"I'm teacher's aid." I held up the roster as proof, just then realizing the name Nathan Scott was on it, "Sit down so I can take attendance."

"Alright everybody, I'm Coach Durham, your history teacher. This is Savannah and she's gonna take attendance, got it?"

"She can take my attendance any day." Tim said stupidly and I had to laugh.

Nathan who was seated behind him smacked him upside the head and rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't make any sense Tim." He said.

"So. She knows what I mean." Tim winked at me.

"Shut up moron and let the girl take attendance!" Coach Durham yelled.

I wasn't used to teachers calling the students morons but I went with it and began to call out names. Everyone was present so I returned the roster to Coach Durham and then waited for him to tell me what to do next.

"This year we're gonna do what we do every year. Most of you have had me as a teacher before and if you haven't you've had me for a coach. We're gonna follow the book. You're gonna do the assignments I tell you to do and we're gonna get along just fine. Anyone have any questions?"

Tim raised his hand.

"What time is practice today coach?"

"Same time as always Tim. Does anyone have any intelligent questions?"

There didn't seem to be any.

"Good, open your book and read chapter one then pull out a piece of paper and answer the end of chapter questions. You have 'til the end of the period."

When they all reluctantly did as they were told, Coach Durham motioned me over to his desk and had me sit down in a chair he pulled up for me.

"You know anything about basketball girlie?" He asked me which threw me off a little bit.

"Um, yeah. I used to play AAA girls ball in California."

He looked surprised. I smiled.

"Good. You can help me look over the playbook then. I need a new opinion."

He showed me a few plays from his playbook and they all looked very good. I definitely wasn't expecting to be doing this during this class but it was a nice surprise.

"Well, honestly Coach, these plays are good. They'll be very affective depending on who you have playing which position. For zone defense… you're always gonna want Lucas playing zone 5 to the left of the basket because he leads off with his right foot for everything so it's gonna be easier for him to block any shots to the goal from there."

Coach Durham looked at me as I talked like I was an alien from another planet. I was beginning to think that I had said something wrong. Maybe what I thought I had said didn't come out the way I thought it did and I had said something really embarrassing.

Then Nathan started to laugh from his desk and I figured I had just missed something somewhere.

"You look surprised coach. Didn't think a girl could know her basketball that well?"

Coach Durham just glared at him.

"Shut up Nathan and do your assignment."

Nathan grinned and winked at me then went back to reading his History chapter.

"What school did you play for?" Coach Durham asked me after the class was settled again.

"Beverly Hills Prep. Well, Beverly Hills College Preparatory Academy but no one ever uses it's full name. We were ranked #1 in the state in our division."

Coach Durham just nodded and stared at me as if he was considering something and analyzing me all at the same time.

"What are you doing after school today?"

"Um… well my best friend just moved here from California. I was gonna show her around."

"I thought I was your best friend." Nathan objected but when Coach Durham glared at him he went back to his chapter.

"Can you spare an hour or so? I'd like you to sit in on our first day of practice. Teach these boys a thing or two."

It was a way to be closer to basketball. It'd almost be playing. I'd be helping out the team. Camille would just have to understand.

"Yeah, I'll be there Coach."

We continued to look over plays for the rest of the class. Every once in awhile I would look up and find Nathan watching us, smiling. I couldn't wait until practice now. This was going to be a lot of fun.


	14. Chapter 13: Practice Makes Perfect

**Chapter Thirteen**

_**Practice Makes Perfect**_

**Nathan POV**

"Can they run that play one more time? I think I see where it could be tweaked just a little…"

Savannah stood on the sidelines with Whitey looking over every play in our playbook, tweaking, perfecting, creating… and redoing every single play. She was driving us all crazy, making us run the same plays repeatedly to see if it could be better. Whitey loved it. He seemed to value her input more than he had ever valued any of our input. My new best friend was quickly becoming my new pain in the ass.

"Coach!" I called out to him, stopping where I stood on the court, "Can we take 10? We're dying out here!"

"Fine, you big babies, take ten!" Whitey yelled and we all collapsed on the floor.

I watched Savannah light up as she and Whitey continued to pour over the playbook, dictating changes.

"Hey Savannah, since you seem to be such a pro and all… why don't you get out here and show us how it's done huh?"

I couldn't take it anymore. It was driving me crazy that she was making all these changes to the team without even consulting me. It could have been my ego talking. It could have been anything, but without thinking, I had just challenged my best friend to bring her skills to the court.

"Nate, I'm wearing a mini skirt and high heels. I can't play in this." She replied, staring down at her clothing.

"I'm sure someone has extra practice clothes in their locker. You can change. Just get out here and really show me you deserve to be part of this team."

"But I'm not…"

"When you're challenged in my gym girlie… you accept." Whitey winked in my direction, and I imagined that he actually understood why I would issue this challenge.

Savannah looked down at her clothes again and sighed.

"Fine, and just to prove that I'm worthy… I won't change."

"Savannah," I shook my head at her, "That's just stupid. I can't play you in a mini skirt. It wouldn't be fair."

"Yeah to you." She smiled and grabbed the basketball from my hands, trotting out onto the court, her heels clicking as she dribbled the ball.

"That's your cue son." Whitey nodded at me with his mischievous grin, "Get out there."

I had to say that I was suddenly nervous to play this game. She was confident enough to play in heels and a skirt… maybe she was gonna kick my ass.

"You're an ass." She whispered to me when I joined her at half court, "I should kill you."

"You were killing me!" I hissed, making sure no one else could hear us, "All those drills you had us running, I was dying out there!"

"Ok hot shot, you should be in better shape then. There was nothing I was making you do that I wouldn't have had to do in California. You wanna play college ball you have to step it up."

"Thanks dad." I glared at her and realized exactly what I had started by challenging her, "Let's just play the game."

"I'll let you have the ball first." She handed the ball to me and stepped aside, "Let's go."

All the rest of the team sat in the bleachers, their eyes glued to us on the court. The cheerleaders had even joined them at this point.

"Go Savannah!" Peyton and Brooke yelled together.

I glared at them and then started the game. The ball hit the hardwood floors with a resounding boom as I dribbled to Savannah's left. Much to my surprise she followed my move exactly and still stood directly in front of me. Even in heels the girl was fast!

I dribbled to the right, back to the left, spun around her, took a shot… and it fell through the basket easily. Perfect, first point to me. Savannah got the ball next and quickly made her basket.

When I got the ball back I was thinking that the game was gonna go pretty smoothly. I'd score then she'd score. We were almost evenly matched and so I thought the game would be uneventful. I was so wrong.

With the game tied at 1 I had the ball and was headed for the basket when Savannah showed up out of nowhere and grabbed the ball from my hands, immediately turning into a fade away jump shot and scoring to take the lead. She smiled when she returned the ball to my hands.

"Watch it Scott. You don't want to lose in front of your team. Then who would they turn to?"

If anyone else talked to me like that I would have beat them up before beating them at basketball… with Savannah it was different. I could tell she was just joking and yet somehow it was serious. If I lost to a girl, my reputation was definitely going to be in question.

The game continued and Savannah continued to dominate. She was ahead 12-9 in a game to 15 and I could feel my livelihood falling away.

"If you want me to let you win, I will." Savannah whispered to me at the next ball exchange, "I don't want you to lose face with the team."

I didn't want to take her up, I really didn't, but I didn't feel like I was going to win at this point and that was definitely something I wouldn't live down.

"That'd be awesome Savannah. Are you sure?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Sure. I'm not losing respect. Everyone expects you to beat the girl in high heels and mini skirt."

I laughed, dribbling the ball around her and shooting to score. She made an attempt that looked real, even though she was really just letting me win. She knew she would have to make it look real for the onlookers to believe it.

"Between you and me though…" Savannah took the ball from me and grinned, "I would have won and you better give me the respect I deserve."

I nodded. That was definitely an agreement.

The game ended 15-13… a win but just barely. The team congratulated me and Savannah shrugged it off.

"I was wearing heels and a skirt, what did you really expect?"

"Alright guys, practice is over. Hit the showers." Whitey yelled at us all as we stood around talking, "Carter, come here a second."

Savannah walked over to Whitey and I could see them talking, her smiling and then a shocked look came over her face. I couldn't hear a word they said as Haley stood at my side, smiling up at me while she, I, and a few other members of the cheer squad and team talked. I couldn't help but wonder what Whitey had said to surprise her so much.

"I'm gonna go talk to Savannah for a second." I leaned down and kissed Haley quickly then jogged to Savannah's side as soon as Whitey left to go to the locker room, "Hey you, what'd Whitey say to you?"

She took a moment to think, staring down at her feet with a silly grin on her face then looked up at me.

"He wants me to join the team."

I was stunned into silence and before the conversation could continue Whitey yelled at me to get in the locker room before he locked me out and I had to leave.

"We need to talk. Don't leave."

"I have to go Nate. Camille is waiting for me!" She yelled after me, "Call me tonight or just come over!"

I ran to the locker room with her words in my head, showering quickly and grabbing my things to go.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind." Lucas jogged to catch up to me as I headed out to the parking lot, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Whitey asked Savannah to join the team. I'm just trying to figure out. Can he even do that?"

Lucas was quiet, clearly thinking and trying to come up with an answer before Brooke and Haley who had been waiting for us began to walk over.

"I don't know if the rulebook says anything specifically about girls not playing on the boys team. Whitey would know better than we would. What I'd wonder about is her suspension in California. Didn't they tell her she couldn't play anymore?"

"I thought so." I nodded and smiled as Haley approached, "I'm gonna talk to her about it later."

"Talk to who about what?" Haley asked, joining us with Brooke who reached up to kiss Lucas.

"Savannah. Whitey asked her to be on the team."

"Seriously?" Brooke's eyes almost popped out of her head, "That's awesome! Why didn't she say anything to us before she left with Cammie?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe she's still trying to contemplate it." Lucas suggested.

Brooke shrugged too and we all fell into a contemplative silence.

"We gotta go Nate. I need to be at the café." Haley was the first to speak.

"I'll give you a ride Hales. I need to talk to my mom anyway." Lucas volunteered, "Brooke, we have plans tonight?"

"We always have plans boyfriend." Brooke grinned widely, "I'll call you."

They kissed again while Haley and I began to walk to Lucas's car, our arms around one another.

"So Savannah on the team…" Haley sounded worried, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that she'd be an amazing addition. Hales, she would have won out there but she let me win because she didn't want my ego to be hurt. She's an awesome player but… I worry that with a girl joining the boys team and how good she is… I feel like my dad just thinking this."

"Thinking what?" Haley put her arms around me and looked up at me with a look that could get criminals to confess in a moment all their deepest, darkest secrets.

"Her being there would hurt my chances of getting a scholarship to Duke because all the attention would be on her."

Haley was quiet and I could tell she was thinking. Her eyebrows furrowed and she just sighed.

"Nate… I think we have a few things we need to talk about. I um…"

"Hales, let's go. You're gonna be late." Lucas interrupted her and she turned quickly, sighing.

"We'll talk later ok?" She smiled up at me and I leaned down to kiss her lightly.

"Yeah, we'll talk later."

She ran off to Lucas while Brooke sauntered to my side.

"So, truth. You want Savannah on the team or not? I won't tell. I promise." She grinned at me with her dimples and I knew that if I didn't confide, she wouldn't stop questioning me.

"Yes, I think I do." I said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm not sure though because that means that she'll be getting all the attention this season and it could hurt my chances of getting a scholarship."

Brooke nodded.

"I can see that. It would affect the whole team, especially those of you who have enough talent to attract scouts. But maybe it would be better cause with so much attention on the team, the scouts might have an even better chance of seeing you play."

I hadn't thought of it that way.

"I gotta go Nate. Think about it. I'm sure I'll see you later." Brooke winked at me and then hopped into her car, speeding out of the parking lot and leaving me with a lot to think about.

It was 8 pm before I heard from any of my friends. I was sitting in the living room of the new apartment Haley and I had rented, unpacking some of our things when there was a knock on the door and then it swung open slowly. Savannah and Camille were grinning as they entered the apartment.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?" Savannah closed the door behind them and bounced over to me, joining me on the floor.

Camille followed but slightly slower.

"It's good. You?"

"Great. I just showed Cammie around town. We ate at Karen's and hung out with Brooke at the mall."

"Where was Peyton?"

"She's home, probably talking to Xander like she does every day." Savannah reached into the nearest box and pulled out a trophy of mine, "So um… I wanted to ask you about the joining the team thing. Cammie and I were talking about it."

"I think she should do it." Camille spoke up, "But she's worried about you. What do you think?"

"I've been thinking about it too and I actually talked to Brooke about it earlier."

Savannah got a weird look on her face and I had to laugh.

"I know. Not usually the person to go to for a heart to heart but it was just a short talk and she made me see a different perspective." I didn't want to go into the thoughts I had been thinking about her joining the team, "I think you should do it Savannah. It'll be fun and it will bring a lot of publicity to the team. Not trying to be selfish but I can benefit from that."

Savannah nodded and continued to contemplate the trophy she held in her hand, clearly thinking about the choice that she had to make.

"I think I am gonna do it. I just don't want the guys to feel like I'm taking a spot on their team that should go to them, you know? I don't want to be the girl who comes in and shows them up."

"Savannah, I'm the captain and you showed me up today! In a miniskirt and heels no less!" I exclaimed, "You're good, no great at this game. You deserve to show them up."

"He has a point." Camille agreed.

"Ok, ok." Savannah laughed, "I'll tell Whitey tomorrow then that I'm in. Sound good?"

"Yes." Camille and I both said together.

There was another knock on the door then and before I could answer, Tim came barging in.

"Nate, dawg, there is a fine new hottie at the school and I am not talking about Savannah cause we all know I've already been there but…" Tim's words trailed off when he spotted the girls on the floor with me, "Oh. Hi Savannah."

"Hi Tim." She smiled at him and he laughed nervously.

"I didn't mean that we had hooked up or anything cause obviously…"

"Tim, this is my best friend Camille. Camille, this is Tim." Savannah just laughed as Tim came over to shake Camille's hand, "Camille just moved here today."

"Yeah, um… I saw you at school."

Tim was nervous around Camille. It was obvious to all of us but Camille just smiled and acted as if she did not.

"So was I the 'fine new hottie' you were talking about?" She asked him sweetly.

"Uh…" Tim wasn't sure how to answer, "yeah?"

Camille grinned.

"It's nice to meet you too." She shrugged and then turned to Savannah with a slight laugh.

"We have to go now." Savannah announced while her and Camille stood, "We'll see you at school tomorrow. Tim… don't be dim and Nate, thank you. I think the season is going to be fun."

"Season? What? Are you gonna be a cheerleader now too? Damn girl you are already sexy but in a cheerleading uniform?" Tim started talking and shut up finally when I smacked him in the back of the head.

"She's gonna play on the team dumbass." I told him and he looked stunned.

"Camille's gonna be a cheerleader though." Savannah volunteered, "I'm sure she'll look just as fine in the uniform."

"Hell yeah she will." Tim found his voice again and the girls laughed.

"Bye guys!" They called out as they left the apartment.

"Bye!" Tim yelled after them.

I shook my head at him when they were gone and he turned to look back at me.

"She is super hot man. I cannot believe we have the finest new girls moving here this year. First Savannah and now Camille. Damn!" Tim sighed, "What's this about Savannah playing for the team though dawg? She's a girl. She can't play on the team."

"Whitey asked her to. Apparently, there's no rules against it so she's going to join us. You saw her out there today. She almost beat me. She's really good."

"Yeah, but a girl that hot should not be playing basketball with guys. What if she gets hurt?"

"Shut up Tim." I rolled my eyes, "Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh, I was at the café and Haley told me to tell you she's closing tonight so she won't be home until 10 or so. I thought I could keep you company until then. Play some video games. We could get some beer."

"Thanks Tim but as you can see, we haven't hooked up the TV yet and I don't even know where my video games are. We also don't have any beer because I usually just get it at Savannah's house these days. You can stay though. Want to help me unpack?"

"Uh…" Tim stood and shook his head, "It's cool man. Maybe I'll just go um… follow Savannah and Camille. I think Camille likes me dawg. She'll probably want me around."

I laughed and watched him back towards the door.

"Whatever man, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, ok."

Tim left and once again, I was alone in the apartment. It was barely 8:30, which meant Haley wouldn't be home for another hour and a half. Until then I was left with just boxes and an empty living room.

By the time she got home, I had actually accomplished a lot. The TV was connected. Our bookshelves were starting to be filled with all the books Haley owned and our combined CD collection. I had found my video games and I was playing those when she walked in the door.

"Wow Nate, this looks amazing." Haley grinned, dropping her book bag by the front door, "You did a lot while I was at work."

"I had nothing else to do. I wanted to surprise you."

"Color me surprised." She grinned and fell onto the couch next to me, leaning into me and kissing me sweetly, "Thank you. This is perfect."

With my wife by my side, I no longer needed the video games and so I quickly turned them off, turning my attention to her instead.

"You should see what I did in the bedroom. I think you're gonna like that too."

"Yeah?" Haley grinned and stood, heading for the bedroom at the end of the hall.

I followed with a smirk.

"Wait…" She turned on the light and frowned, "You didn't do anything in here."

"I know, but it got you in here." I flipped off the lights and pulled her with me to the bed, "I missed you while you were at work."

She giggled and curled up into me as we fell onto the bed.

"I missed you too. What do you say we make up for lost time?"

I liked that idea.

"Sounds good."

We lost each other in a sea of kisses, which quickly escalated into more. I knew there were probably things we should be discussing but I didn't want to. In those moments I just wanted to hold her and feel her body pressed against mine. There would always be tomorrow to actually talk.


	15. Writer's Note Two Years Late

**Hey all! If you are reading this I am super excited! I haven't written or updated this story in almost TWO YEARS! I have finally gotten some inspiration and I am really excited to get started again. Hopefully those of you who used to read this story might still be around and if not, maybe some new readers are reading this and are excited to be joining me. I should have a new chapter posted within the next 24 hours, maybe two new chapters, so please, please review to keep me motivated to write!**

**Thanks so much,**

_**Bryana**_


	16. Chapter 14: Finding Normal

_**Writers Note: Alright ya'll, I am so sorry. This is an update TWO YEARS in the making and I cannot believe that it has taken me THIS LONG to write it. It is a super long update, so hopefully that will save me from the wrath of people who waited two years for my to update. Please, please review. And if you see any typos or things you think I should fix or work on, please let me know. I'm always going over my work to make it great so if it's not great for you, tell me what I can do to fix it ok? Thanks for reading! Enjoy.**_

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Finding Normal**

**Lucas POV**

The second day of school was much like the first. Go to classes. Eat lunch. Go to more classes. Go to basketball practice. The difference today was that it would be the first day of Savannah practicing with us, as part of the team.

"Listen up!" Whitey yelled at the team as we all gathered on the bleachers, "As of today, Savannah Carter will be part of your team."

As if on cue, Savannah appeared from the locker rooms in her practice gear and joined us on the bleachers. She sat next to Nathan who gave her a reassuring hug as the rest of the team began to chit-chat about how a girl would be joining the team.

"Now I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, which frankly, I don't care, but I will answer a few. Who wants to go first?" Whitey offered.

A few guys raised their hands, including Nathan and I. Whitey chose Nathan to start.

"How can she play ball with us on a boys team? Aren't there rules against that?"

"I researched that. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association states specifically that women cannot play on men's athletic teams if there is a women's team for the same sport. Since you all know we do not have a women's basketball team at this school, Savannah is eligible to play with us just like all of you."

"I was banned at my last school from playing any AAA basketball anywhere ever. Are you sure I'm going to be allowed to play?" Savannah asked the same question I was going to ask.

"Lucky for you girlie, we play 4-A ball here. That means your ban doesn't cover our league." Whitey grinned at her, "Enough questions. We need to start practicing. Now Savannah had an opportunity earlier to look over the entire playbook and now we are going to test her. I want to see if she learned anything."

"Uh-oh." Savannah grumbled but she grinned and stood, "I don't know if these boys can handle me coach."

"Talking shit already." Nathan stood up next to her and they headed out to the court, quickly followed by the rest of the team.

"Alright!" Whitey blew his whistle officially signaling the start of practice, "One more thing before you start your warm up laps."

There was a dramatic pause and Whitey had one of those grins which meant he was up to something.

"Just like the beginning of every year, I will be watching to see who wants the starting spots the most. Just because you show up does not mean you are entitled, which means that all of you, Savannah included, could be a starter, if you work hard enough." Whitey blew his whistle again, "Get to work!"

Fifty laps around the school gym started our warm-up, followed by stretching exercises and then a series of five warm up drills which were decided on by Nathan and myself, the teams Co-Captains. We liked to switch them up everyday.

"Alright, now it is time to run some plays. What position do you play Savannah?"

"Point guard."

Well, at least she wouldn't be gunning for my position on the starting lineup. Point guard, that was where Tim usually played. Nathan and I would most likely be safe no matter what, but nonetheless I was glad she didn't play shooting guard or power forward.

"Alright, I want two teams of five to run plays, offensive and defensive." Whitey began to split us up into teams.

Savannah and I were on one side with three other players to fill in the rest of the positions. Nathan and Tim were opposite us with three more of our teammates. This might get interesting.

"Offensive play A! Defensive play D!"

The whistle blew and since our team started on the offensive, the ball was passed in to Savannah and she headed down the court. Nathan led his half of the team to get into defensive positions and the rest of our team ran down the court to begin setting up the play so that Savannah could utilize all of us.

We had gone through almost every Offensive and Defensive play we knew by the time Whitey called us off the court to end practice. Everyone on the team was exhausted, breathing hard and ready to collapse when we gathered again on the bleachers. Everyone… except Savannah. I watched her pick up a water bottle, take a sip of water and then just stand there, waiting for Whitey to start speaking. She didn't even sit down next to the rest of us who had collapsed.

"We have a lot of work to do before the season starts in Winter, but you all play well together. It seems we are finally clicking. Savannah, good job feeling out your teammates and working with them. You're a quick study."

"Thank you Coach." She smiled at Whitey and then looked over at me, offering me her water bottle when she saw mine was empty.

After a few more pointers on what we could do better and what we all needed to work on, Whitey let us break up and head for the showers. Savannah of course would have to go shower in the girls locker room, so it was not surprising that once we were all in the locker room everyone started talking about her and her newfound place on the team.

"This is bullshit man! Some girl comes in and thinks she can take my place on the team!" One of our teammates complained, "She ain't even that good!"

Nathan and I exchanged looks and shrugged, choosing not to participate in the conversation.

"If I lose my starting position ya'll, my dad is gonna kill me!" Tim whined as he followed us into the showers, "Seriously, she is going for MY position!"

"Then I guess you need to work on your skills don't you?" Nathan pushed Tim a little and laughed, "She is better than you."

"Shut up!" Tim rubbed his chest where Nathan had pushed him, "It's not right Nate. You're the captain. Shouldn't we have a say in this?"

"Co-Captain." Nathan corrected him, glancing over at me, "I did have a say in it. She asked me last night if I was cool with her playing. You were there idiot."

"Oh yeah." Tim sighed but effectively shut up.

"Wait, Savannah asked you if you were cool with her playing?" I was confused.

"Yeah. She and Camille came over last night. She asked me if I was gonna be cool with it. I told her I was. She was even worried about the guys being upset if she showed them up, but I told her she shouldn't be. She has the right to show them up if she's better."

"Why didn't she ask me?" I asked, "We are Co-Captains like you said."

"Maybe, she doesn't care about your opinion."

I knew Nathan was joking but it still hurt a little. I knew things would change when Savannah and I broke up, but I didn't think she would stop talking to me completely. Now that I thought about it, she and I hadn't had a real conversation since the bonfire. If I had to admit it, I missed her.

"Look Luke, you broke up with her. And yeah, she's being cool with it and she tries to act like she doesn't care that you're with Brooke now, but she does. And before you ask, no, she hasn't said anything, but as her best friend, I know."

Nathan headed out of the showers which left me wondering. When did he become her best friend?

"I thought Camille was her best friend. Hell, even Peyton is more qualified."

"Just because I was out of town for most of the summer, doesn't mean I'm not a qualified best friend." Nathan retorted, "Maybe I'm not her BEST friend but we're friends. From day one she's told me things she doesn't really tell anyone else."

"And you would know that how exactly?"

"I just do."

Nathan and I finished changing back into our normal clothes and headed out of the locker room to find the subject of our debate with Peyton, Brooke, and Camille waiting for us.

"Hey there ladies. Waiting for us?"

"We are, but not because you're special or anything." Savannah responded immediately, "You guys wanna hang out? We were gonna go to my house and play pool. Maybe go swimming."

"Where's Haley?" I asked before responding.

"She had to work." Nathan responded without hesitation, "I'm in. I need to go home and get my trunks first though."

"Yeah, me too."

"Tim!" Camille suddenly yelled and when she took off, we all stared at her like she was an alien.

"Does she actually like him?" Nathan asked Savannah, clearly puzzled as he watched what appeared to be Camille flirting with Tim.

"Yes." Savannah laughed, "I know it's weird, but since she met him at your house last night, all she's talked about is how cute he is."

"Cute as in a mentally retarded ape cute right?" Brooke retorted, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Not kidding. I told her she could invite him." Savannah grinned from ear to ear and headed for her car, "I'll see you at my house. Cammie! Let's go!"

Peyton, Brooke, Nathan and I watched the scene unfold in front of us as Camille ran to meet up with Savannah and Tim of course followed diligently.

"We're gonna give Tim a ride. Is that cool?" Cammie yelled out to Savannah.

Savannah waved her hand for them to join her and they both ran after her, the three of them racing to her waiting car.

"Since when does Dim Tim score hot chicks?" Brooke was still in shock, "I totally liked her until I realized she has horrible taste in men."

"If you can even call him a man." Peyton sighed, "Oh well, what can we do? B. Davis, you riding with me or Luke?"

"You." Brooke reached up and pulled me down to kiss her quickly and then waved to Nate, "See you guys soon."

Nathan and I were suddenly left standing alone.

"Alright man, I'm gonna swing by your moms café to let Haley know where we are going to be and deal with the argument that might cause. See you at Savannah's?"

I nodded and we went our separate ways. I headed to my house to drop off my school stuff and change into something more pool appropriate. I was actually surprised when my mom and Keith were sitting in the kitchen, as if they had been waiting for me to get home.

"Hi guys." I looked at them both inquisitively, "What's up?"

"Nothing." My mom smiled in my direction, "How was school today?"

"Fine. Aren't you supposed to be at the café?"

"What are you? Her mom?" Keith joked with me, "We were having coffee here. What are you doing?"

"I just came home to drop off my stuff and grab a pair of swim shorts. Savannah invited us over to go swimming."

"When we were in school, I don't remember ex-boyfriends and their new girlfriends hanging out with the ex-girlfriend, do you?" My mom asked Keith, "The kids these days…"

"Yeah, I don't remember that either." Keith went along with the joke.

"Ha Ha, very funny." I left them to their joking in the kitchen and went into my room, dropping my bags and heading off in search of the shorts I knew I had somewhere.

"Lucas, is there ever any adult supervision at her house? Because her parents left town didn't they?" My mom called out to me.

"Um… yeah. Her mom lives in Spain. Her dad is mostly living in New York right now. Why?" I didn't like where this was going.

"Well…" My mom suddenly appeared in my doorway with Uncle Keith right behind her, "Who all is going to be at her house right now?"

"Brooke, Peyton, Savannah, Camille…"

"Who is Camille?" I forgot that my mom hadn't met Camille yet.

"She's Savannah's best friend from California. She moved here yesterday to go to school with Savannah."

"And her parents?" Keith joined in the questioning.

"I think her dad works with Savannah's dad. I don't know that much about her actually. Why are you suddenly asking all these questions? You never really cared before where I hung out."

"I cared." My mom defended herself, "It's just usually I knew who you were hanging out with and that someone was going to be around to keep an eye on you."

"No, because Peyton's dad is always out to sea. Brooke's parents have always been MIA. Haley's parents are well… you know Haley's parents and her and Nathan have been married and on their own for awhile, so we hang out at their place with no parents. Other than that there was the Rivercourt which granted you could have come by at any time to check on us but…"

"Ok, ok." My mom raised her hands in surrender, "I get it. You guys are responsible teenagers and usually I trust you, it's just, I still don't really know Savannah or her family. I just worry about you Luke."

"I'm fine mom." When I finally found my swim shorts I turned to look at her and Keith who were hovering like parents would normally hover, "Mom, Uncle Keith, seriously. Savannah lives two blocks from Dan and Deb's house. You've been there mom so if you feel like you need to drop by, you can. We're just going swimming. That's all."

"When do I get to meet this girl anyway? Even Dan mentioned her when I ran into him the other day. It seems like she's the talk of the town."

I had to laugh at Keith. Even though he was my Uncle he was such a parent sometimes.

"She moved here from California at the beginning of the summer. She's super smart. She plays basketball, in fact, Whitey asked her to join the team so she's playing with us now."

"What?" Both Keith and my mom exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah. I'm sure Dan's gonna have something to say about that too once he finds out but she started practice with us today and she is awesome at that too. She's really cool, very down to earth even though she's incredibly rich…"

"And beautiful." My mom added.

"And beautiful." I repeated with a smile in my mom's direction, "She's just fun to be around and so far she's been a great friend to everyone she's met here. Nathan's already calling her his best friend even though Haley hates her. She hooked Peyton up with her brother and I don't think I've ever seen Peyton this happy. She's smiley and not sulking like she did after Jake left and with all the stuff she's been through, she definitely deserves that. Savannah's just…"

"Well, with all those wonderful things to say, I'm surprised you broke up with her." Keith raised his brows in my direction and I sighed.

"She's wonderful but, I love Brooke."

"Get out of here child." My mom groaned, "All this talk of love. You're only 17."

"Only 17? I'm sorry, how old were you when I was born?"

"Go to Savannah's. Call me if you're going to be late tonight." My mom laughed.

"Yes ma'am." I headed out the side door from my bedroom and hopped into my car, driving over to Savannah's house and getting there pretty quickly.

I let myself in out of habit, not thinking until after I had done it that since I was no longer her boyfriend, she might not want me walking in anymore.

"Alright you whore, quit cheating!" Camille squealed and I headed towards her voice. At the pool table in the dining room, she and Savannah both held pool sticks playing a game.

When I walked into the room Savannah was lining up a shot which meant she was bent over the table, her butt towards me, clad in nothing more than a tiny black and blue string bikini. Luckily I was still wearing jeans or else my reaction would have been immediately noticeable.

"Hey Luke." Camille noticed me first, "If you wanna change you can upstairs. Tim's up there somewhere."

"Probably jerking off on your underwear." Nathan said as he walked in behind me, "Cammie, seriously…"

"Don't even start." Camille put up her hand to silence him, "Brooke and Peyton already called and tried. I don't care what you all think. I like him."

"Alright, you're choice." Nathan shook his head and headed for the stairs where he could go change.

I admired the view once more, as Savannah hadn't even turned around, and then followed Nathan up the stairs.

Once again by habit I headed straight for Savannah's room, which was where I usually went when I came over. I went into her bathroom and locked the door behind me, just in case, and then changed. When I came out of the bathroom Savannah was standing in front of her armoire, frantically searching in a drawer for something.

"What are you looking for?"

She jumped and turned around quickly.

"Jesus Luke, you scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." I turned the light out in the bathroom and joined her at the armoire, "Can I help you find something?"

"Well, it's my bedroom, so no." She responded.

I noticed her eyes travel down my body and when she looked me in the eye again she smiled. For a second I had the impulse to kiss her, which I again blamed on old habits. She just looked so good, standing there in front of me in her tiny bikini, checking me out. She reached for a drawer that was about the same height as my waist and I thought she was reaching for me for a second, until she pulled the drawer out and it bumped me out of the way.

"Brooke and Peyton just got here. They are downstairs." She said nonchalantly, "Oh, finally."

She pulled a small black hair-tie from the drawer and used it to pull her hair up into a messy ponytail.

"You coming?"

I followed her down the stairs back to the pool table where it was now Camille and Tim playing pool. Outside the sliding glass door I could see Peyton and Brooke laughing and joking, rubbing on sunscreen before they would get into the pool. Instead of continuing to stare at Savannah, I went to join them outside.

"Hey boyfriend, where have you been?" Brooke ran over to me and kissed me lightly.

"Upstairs, changing. Where have you been?"

"Right here." Brooke grinned, "You need sunscreen. I'll get your back."

Brooke slathered sunscreen on me and by the time she was done the whole gang had joined us in the backyard.

"Nate, no." Savannah was backing very slowly away from Nathan who was creeping up on her, "Nathan, seriously, don't do it."

"Oh come on Savannah, it won't be that bad. The water's not even that cold."

"Nate…" Savannah whined and continued to back away, "I swear, I will get in, just don't throw me."

"Sorry, no can do." Nathan made a sudden lunge towards her and she screamed as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, tossing her directly into the middle of the pool.

The rest of us laughed as she came back up, sputtering and screaming.

"Nathan Scott get your ass in here right now so I can kill you!"

"Yes ma'am." Nathan grinned mischievously as he ran and jumped into the water directly in front of Savannah, splashing her in the face making her sputter even more.

"Ahh!" As soon as Nathan surfaced Savannah jumped on his back in an attempt to dunk him under the water which didn't work at first, until she started to tickle him too.

"We should get in there, come on." I grabbed Brooke, and she laughed, knowing she was about to get thrown in as well.

Within a few minutes all seven of us were playing in the pool, splashing and dunking each other. Savannah went inside briefly to turn on music for us to listen to and then came back out, jumping in with no regard as to who would be in her way. We played Marco Polo for awhile and tag, but after a few hours when it was getting dark, we decided to get out of the pool and head inside to dry off and get something to eat.

"Well, the one thing I really know how to cook well is spaghetti, so I can make that. Anyone object?" Savannah called out to the group who were in various parts of the kitchen getting snacks or drinks.

No one had any objections so she began to get everything together for the meal. Nathan offered to help her and so the rest of us left them in the kitchen while we cleared out to the living room and turned on the TV.

The spaghetti didn't take long to cook and within 45 minutes we were all sitting in the living room, watching TV and eating our food. We were all so comfortable that when the doorbell rang, no one wanted to get up and answer the door.

"COME IN!" Savannah yelled as loud as she could. Since she was sitting close to Nathan, he clutched his ear in pain which made Savannah giggle.

"Hi." My mom peaked around the corner and into the room, shocking me almost more than it would have had the abominable snowman walked into the room.

"Hi Karen." Savannah immediately set her plate down and got up, running to my mom and giving her a hug.

"It smells amazing in here. What are you guys eating?"

"Spaghetti. There's more. Do you want some?" Savannah offered, "Sit down. I'll make you a plate."

"Oh thank you." My mom smiled at her and did as she was told, sitting on the couch which wasn't being used as we were all wet, sitting on the floor.

Brooke and Peyton both got up to give her a hug as did Nathan.

"Oh, this is Camille. Cammie for short. She moved here to be close to Savannah." Brooke introduced my mom and Camille who then got up to shake her hand.

"Lucas was telling me. That's so sweet that you would come to live closer to your best friend."

"Well don't tell her but I was kinda lost without her." Camille laughed, "We've been friends since birth so without her life was pretty stale."

"Aww…" Savannah came back in the room grinning at Camille, "I love you best friend."

"I love you too best friend." Camille laughed.

Savannah handed my mom her plate and then went back to her own seat, un-pausing the TV that she had paused when she got up. Everyone else went back to what they were doing but I was still puzzled as to why my mom was here.

"What are we watching?" My mom asked after a few minutes.

"Alias." Savannah replied without turning away from the TV, "Jennifer Garner plays Sydney Bristow who is a spy slash double agent with the CIA. She kicks ass."

My mom laughed.

"It looks interesting. I don't get to watch too much TV I guess with the café and well… keeping up with Lucas."

"I'm a pretty good kid. What is there to keep up with?" I argued.

"Please, you? Good?" Savannah scoffed, "Don't listen to him Karen. He's the worst out of all of us when you're not around."

"Really?" My mom looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Anything I should know about?"

"Well, today, at basketball practice…"

"Hey Savannah." I interrupted.

"Yes?" She turned to me, stopping mid sentence.

"Shut up."

She grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at me, but I ducked and it hit Brooke instead.

"Ow! Whore!" Brooke threw the pillow back and then covered her mouth and looked at my mom, "Sorry Karen."

My mom just chuckled when she saw that the pillow cushion had bounced off Savannah's head and hit Nathan instead. Nathan was just beginning to pick it up to throw it at someone else.

"No need to be sorry. I was a teenager once. Sometimes I still swear now and then."

Just as she finished her sentence Nathan chucked the pillow at Tim who was completely engrossed in the TV, ignoring his surroundings, which meant when the pillow hit him directly in the face, he almost fell over.

"What the…"

"That was mean!" Camille came to Tim's rescue and grabbed a second pillow from the couch, throwing it at Nathan.

And the pillow fight started as suddenly everyone was grabbing pillows and chucking them at each other.

"Wait!" Savannah yelled and everyone froze, "Just let me grab the plates so they don't spill."

She weaved through the group and collected all the plates except my mom's. My mom stood and backed away from the couch and as soon as she was clear and Savannah returned from the kitchen, the pillow fight resumed.

After a few minutes I pulled myself away from the fight and joined my mom behind the couch where she was watching. The look of amusement on her face was great. She looked like she was having fun.

"So…" I smiled at her when she noticed I was standing next to her, "Whatcha doin' here?"

"You said I could come and check on you." She replied innocently, "So I did."

"Mom…"

"No really Luke, I wasn't trying to spoil the night or anything. I just… I feel like we've grown apart a bit. I've been gone all summer. I just wanted to make sure you were good here. And well, clearly…" She motioned over the group who were now wrestling on the floor, "You guys are fine. I can go."

"No. You're here. I like that you're here. You're not intruding mom. I was just surprised. Savannah looked thrilled when you showed up."

"She did." My mom agreed, "Did she make the food?"

"Yes, but don't ever let her cook anything else. Spaghetti's about as far as she goes."

"I see."

My mom continued to eat the food on her plate and we stood there, watching my friends behave like wild animals, content to just watch. It felt good that this might become our normal.


	17. Chapter 15: Yes

_**Writers Note: Alright, so this will be the second post in less than 24 hours. Yes I was gone for two years but when I deliver, I do deliver. :) First I want to say thank you to my wonderful Petra who never lets me down! I can't believe two years go buy, I post one chapter and you are back, reviewing just like the old days. Seriously, you are the reason I am inspired to keep writing this story. If it wasn't for your reviews, I wouldn't keep writing. With that in mind, this is one SUPER LONG chapter. It will probably be the last one for the day and since I start my new job tomorrow, it might take me a few days to post another, but I promise I won't keep you hanging for another two years. And to the 333 people from 12 different countries who have read some portion of this story in the past 24 hours, please review. Reviews are life for me. If you hate the story, tell me. If you love the story, please tell me! Alright, I'll quit rambling now. Enjoy!!  
**_

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Yes**

**Peyton POV**

"When are you coming back? It's been over a month. I miss you."

There was no response on the other end of the phone and for a second I thought the call must have been disconnected.

"Xander?" I looked at my phone but it said it was still connected.

"What?" Xander sounded confused, "Hold on."

I heard him set the phone down and there was a lot of chatter in the background, all in Spanish of course, so I had no idea what they were saying. I tried not to let it bother me but lately, everything bothered me more than it should. I attributed it to the fact I hadn't seen Xander in almost a full month, making me lonely and horny, which brought out my inner bitch.

"Knock, knock." I looked up and saw Haley standing in my bedroom doorway.

"Hey Haley, come in. Sit down." I patted the bed in front of me and she smiled, jumping up onto the bed like a little kid and sitting cross-legged in front of me, "I'm gonna get off the phone in just a minute ok? He has me on hold."

"Oh hey, if it's Xander, I can come by later. I don't want to interrupt."

"No, no. It is Xander but he's not even listening to me so I'm just gonna get off of here before I say something I'll regret later."

"I am too listening to you." Xander suddenly countered, clearly back on the phone.

"Oh, hi. Nice to hear your voice again. Am I interrupting your elusive business? Too busy for your girlfriend?"

"Peyton, please don't be like that. There's a lot going on here. Those guys who were just here told me that my grandfather just died."

"Oh my God," Now I felt bad for being mean, "Xan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a bitch I just… Are you ok? "

"I'm ok. I do have to go baby but I swear, I will call again soon and I will be there with you… really soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Xander yelled at someone in Spanish and then quietly cursed in English, "I have to go. I love you."

"Love you. See you soon."

I hung up the phone and sighed, setting it on the bed in between Haley and I. I frowned and she frowned back sympathetically.

"It'll be ok. He'll come back."

"I know. It just sucks you know? The longer he's gone, the more I second guess that he really wants to be with me. Cause if you think about it, we didn't know each other that long and then all of a sudden we're like, in love. My feelings haven't changed but he's older and in Spain and I just wonder…"

"I don't think his feelings have changed." Haley assured me, "I don't really know him but, I have a feeling his feelings are still the same."

"Thanks." I smiled at her and sighed again, "Enough about me. What's up? What are you doing here? It's noon on a Saturday. Shouldn't you be out with Nathan or… I don't know, enjoying the day?"

"Well, yeah, except Nathan is at the Rivercourt with Lucas and Savannah." Even saying Savannah's name made Haley wrinkle her nose, "I don't know what to do Peyt. I mean, things are good with Nathan and I again. We live peacefully. He says he's forgiven me for everything that happened and I'm happy again. I WANT to like Savannah, I do, but there's this little part of me that wants to just slap her every time I see her. She's just too comfortable around Nathan. It's like they've known each other forever and they just fall into this… familiarity. She tickles him and he picks her up and gives her piggy back rides and they laugh together and… I feel left out."

"Is that why you're here?" She had her head hung in defeat but when I asked the question she tilted her eyes up to me and with the most pitiful puppy dog face she nodded.

"Help me! You know her. You like her. You're dating her brother. What am I supposed to do? How can I start liking her?" Haley fell forward and threw her arms onto my lap, "Please, I am begging you. I just want to spend time with my husband without being uncomfortable around her."

"Well, you've made it through the first step Mrs. Scott. You've admitted that you have a problem." I said in my best fake doctor tone, "The next step is to hit her."

"What?" Haley immediately sat up with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"I'm just kidding. Don't hit her. Um… I don't know Haley. I like Savannah because she is very chill. She just hangs out and she's cool with everything. Like when we go to her house, it's like we live there. You remember, even the first day she was here and we all spent the night at her house she bought us all food and let us have whatever we wanted. She's relaxed. There's not really any reason not to like her."

"Let's say… Camille. Let's say Camille meets Xander, and yes I know she already knows him because they grew up together but for arguments sake, we will say they meet and immediately they become great friends. They hang out all the time. They like the same things. And she's hot, and she's rich, and… Do you get the point yet?"

"Yes, yes." I was laughing but it was good insight into her thought process, "Haley, the thing is, Nathan and Savannah are just friends. I mean, imagine how much worse it has to be for Brooke. Savannah was dating Lucas when Brooke came back but Brooke is fine with Savannah."

"Lucas dumped Savannah to be with Brooke. That's different." Haley sighed, "I don't know what to do. I thought about asking him to stop hanging out with her outside basketball and school, but I don't think that would do any good."

"No." I shook my head almost violently, "Ultimatums are a no go."

We sat quietly for a minute, both of us pondering what else to say. It was at this time that suddenly Brooke appeared in the doorway, dressed up like she was going somewhere really nice. Her hair was partially pulled up into loose bun, partial bangs covering a portion of her face and the rest just cascading over her shoulders in silky curls. I hoped that she was wearing a dress or something underneath her black double breasted trench coat but I couldn't tell because it was completely buttoned up. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you all dressed up for?" I took the bait and she immediately started cackling loudly.

"I found my calling. My official thing that I am going to have to do with my life. Wanna know what it is?"

This time it was Haley who took the bait.

"Yes."

"I am going to design clothes. Look." Brooke started to unbutton her jacket but I stopped her.

"Woah there buddy. I like you but we are just friends. I do not want to see you in the nude."

"Shut up!" Brooke laughed, "No, it's a dress. Look."

When I turn to look at her again she has the black trench coat open to reveal a stunning but very short cream colored strapless dress which was cinched just below her bustline with a black belt. The dress fit her perfectly and outlined all her curves.

"Wait, you made that?" Haley stood up and went to walk circles around Brooke, admiring the whole dress once Brooke took the coat off.

"Well, I designed it. I sent it to a company that takes your designs and sews them for you and it came back like this. Isn't it amazing? I designed the jacket too. I just didn't say anything to you guys because I wasn't sure how it was going to come out."

"When did you do this? Brooke, this is fantastic."

"I actually designed them on the plane on my way back from California, but it's taken this long for them to get back to me and with everything that's been going on around here lately, I kind of forgot about them. Do you really like it?"

Haley and I looked at each other and then back and Brooke, but we were speechless. We were both so stunned that there were no words.

"I will take that as a yes. Now I just need somewhere to wear them." Brooke was so ecstatic but tried to settle down, "So what are we talking about in here?"

"Oh um…" Haley stuttered a little, taking another long look at Brooke's dress, "Um… oh. Savannah. We were trying to figure out a plan of action for me to take so that I can try to be less uncomfortable around her."

"What have we come up with?" Brooke adjusted her dress and sighed, "Hold that thought. Let me change so I can come lounge with you guys."

She ran out of the room to hers and was back shortly, now in more appropriate Brooke loungewear, a tank top and sweat shorts.

"We haven't really come up with anything." Haley sighed, picking up the conversation where it left off, "I explained to Peyton that it's not that I don't want to like or anything, it's just weird for me. I feel left out. Like, Savannah and Nathan have private inside jokes and they're all touchy feely, even around me. They tickle each other and… it's weird!"

"Well sweetie, if they're touchy feely around you than that means nothings going on with them? If they weren't being that way, you should be worried, because if they were conscious of doing those things around you and trying to hide it from you, that would probably mean they were doing those things when you weren't around, and probably more. I think you get my point."

Brooke did have a point. Savannah and Nathan were so comfortable around everyone, Haley included, it made sense that it would insinuate that they had nothing to hide.

"If that doesn't make you feel better than you only other option is to fight her." Brooke shrugged, "Just punch her. I like Savannah but I think if you hit her, you'd feel better and if she was willing to forgive you for it, you guys could be friends after that. Of course, there's always the possibility she would hit you back."

"Brooke!" Haley and I both exclaimed.

"Look, it is a classic therapy method. I've read about it a hundred times. Why do you think some men and women beat up their spouses? It's cause they think that if they get the aggression out, they'll be able to get along better afterwards. Seriously."

We both stared at her like she was an alien from another planet. I just shook my head, not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"I'm not saying it's right for people to beat each other up, but I mean, Haley's tried everything. If she really can't get along with Savannah she should try it. I bet Savannah wouldn't care if you promised not to hit her in the face and told her why you wanted to do it. Of course, then it might not have the same affect."

"Brooke." I stopped her just as she was about to say something else, "You're rambling sweetie. And Haley is not hitting Savannah."

"Now that you mention it…" Haley shrugged, "Peyt, you suggested it too. You said I should slap her. Maybe that's a sign. If I hit her, we will get along better."

"I was kidding and that is the stupidest idea I have ever heard of!" I couldn't believe both of my friends had gone off the deep end with this one, "Besides, her grandfather just died. You can't hit her when she's going through that kind of pain."

"What? When did her grandfather die?" Brooke exclaimed.

"Xander told me, on the phone a little while ago. It didn't really hit me until right now actually. I don't even remember if I said anything to him to console him."

"Was he really upset? He didn't sound upset when you guys hung up." Haley put her hand on my knee in what I assumed was a gesture of consolation, even though I wasn't the one who needed to be consoled.

"No, he wasn't upset actually. I think that's why it didn't really hit me until right now. I was so irritated that he hadn't been paying attention to me that I think I just like, pushed it off. Maybe I should call him back."

As if on cue, my phone began to ring and I picked it up without even looking to see who it was.

"Hey Peyt, have you talked to Xander?" Savannah asked quietly from the other end.

"Yeah, probably thirty minutes ago or so. We were just talking about you actually. Are you ok? Is Xander ok? He didn't sound too upset when I talked to him."

"He's fine." Savannah sighed, "The truth is we weren't really that close to our grandfather, so the fact that he died isn't too much of a big deal but um… we're still gonna have to be there for the funeral which from what Xander told me is going to be tomorrow afternoon. He was too busy to call you because he's dealing with all of that, but he asked me to ask you if you would come with me, to Spain, for the funeral. He wants you there."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. You don't need anything except enough clothing for like 4 days and you need to make sure that your dad's gonna be cool if you miss school."

My dad? That was a joke. He had been making excuses for why he couldn't get back to Tree Hill since the beginning of summer. I had yet to even be able to ask him about Ellie, and well, since she hadn't surfaced in a couple months either, I hadn't really pushed the issue.

"Ok. I need a passport too right?"

"Um… I assume yes but we're not going through Customs, so I don't know if you will or not. We're flying directly onto the property. There's a private airstrip. If you don't have one, you don't really have time to get one so I would assume Xander will take care of it."

I was a little puzzled as to how Xander would be able to take care of something like that but I didn't question her.

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as you and I are ready. Just come over when you are ready so we can just go straight to the airport from here."

"Ok."

It was all happening so fast that at this point I would just agree to anything, trying to make everything easier.

"Savannah? Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm more upset that I'll be missing basketball practice for 4 days, but Nate and Luke say they'll fill me in when I get back so it's not that big a deal I guess."

I laughed a little and we said our goodbyes. I set the phone back down and then noticed that Brooke and Haley were both staring at me inquisitively.

"I guess Xander asked Savannah to ask me to come to Spain for their grandfather's funeral. He wants me there. We leave as soon as we're packed and we are flying directly onto the private airstrip on the property… I'm kind of in shock right now. I'm going to Spain tonight."

"If it wasn't for a funeral that would be totally awesome." Brooke said, "I wish I could go."

"I don't even know what to pack. What is the weather like in Spain right now?"

Brooke and Haley immediately got to work helping me figure things out as I started to go through my closet, trying to figure out what to pack. I owned a lot of black clothing but nothing that I thought would qualify as appropriate for a funeral in Spain with the extremely rich family of my boyfriend.

"None of this is going to do. I have nothing to wear."

"Well it's going to be cold. The average temperature in Vigo, Spain… Wait, that's where it is right? Nathan said they're from Vigo, Spain?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, Vigo." I joined the two of them at the computer and stared at the screen, "How cold is 18.0 degrees Celsius?"

"64 degrees Fahrenheit." Haley replied, "You need to pack warm clothes."

"I guess I do." I sighed, "Brooke, can I wear the jacket you designed?"

"Sure." Brooke grinned, "Would you like to raid my closet for other things? They are rich. I shop designer."

I loved her for the way she was thinking. My wardrobe was going to need to be seriously upgraded if I would be spending more time with Xander's family.

"Yes, let's go."

The three of us headed to Brooke's room where she threw open her closet and let me bask in it's glory. She immediately pulled out the jacket she had designed and threw that on her bed. Then she headed in to the color coded room and started sorting through her black dresses.

"To really capitalize on how cute my jacket is, you need to wear a short dress underneath it, so you can't see the dress, but since it will be cold, you can wear black tights and black boots with it. That will be killer. You should choose from this one, this one, this one… or this one." She threw four short black dresses in various silhouettes onto her bed and I contemplated them, "Do you have to wear black the whole time you are there? Or just for the funeral?"

"Um, I don't know. I should call Savannah back."

Haley ran to my room for me to grab the phone and while I called Savannah she seemed to take over contemplating the dresses.

"Hey Peyton." Nathan answered her phone and I was a little taken aback.

"Hey…" I hesitated saying his name so as to not alarm Haley, "Where's Savannah?"

"She is upstairs, packing. Luke and I are playing video games. Why?"

"I need to ask her what I am supposed to be packing to go with her. Can you take her the phone?"

"Yes I can. Dude, pause the game."

I could hear Nathan get up and head up the stairs, down the hall to Savannah's room. I didn't hear him knock on the door so either it was open or he just walked right in. Soon I heard Savannah's voice.

"Peyton wants to talk to you." Nathan said to her and then to me, "Talk to you later Peyton."

"Hey Peyt. What's up?" Savannah greeted me.

"I don't know what to pack. I know it's gonna be semi-cold but should I pack all black? Just black for the funeral? Do I need to dress up or… what's the protocol?"

"Um, yeah, all black. Even though you're not an immediate family member, it's sort of custom to show that you are in mourning to wear all black, so to be safe, you should go along with it. It is kind of stuffy over there, as in they have their noses turned up to everyone, so dress nice. Dresses are a good idea as some of the men there still have the notion that women should not wear pants and should always look ladylike. I'll pack extra stuff in case you don't have everything."

"Do you have black tights and black boots? I'd borrow Brooke's but we wear completely different shoe sizes."

"Yeah, I think so, hold on."

I knew both Savannah and I, being of about the same stature, wore close to the same shoe size and we definitely wore about the same clothing size.

"Oh, she says I need to wear all black the whole time, preferably dresses or skirts and I should dress nice. So… if you could just pick some stuff out for me…"

"I'm on it." Brooke continued searching and Haley went into the closet to help her.

"Ok, yes, I have black boots. They are knee high. Is that cool?"

"Yeah, that's perfect. Thanks Savannah. I am so overwhelmed with this."

"Don't be. We'll be together the whole time. Xander will be there. You're going to look fabulous because I will make sure of that and I'm sure Brooke is helping to make sure of it as well and you don't need to worry about the funeral. Like I said, we weren't that close to him so you don't need to be too choked up about it. The funeral is tomorrow and after that, we have three days to show you Spain. It's gonna end up being a good trip."

"Ok." I exhaled slowly, "I will see you in a little bit ok?"

"Ok."

Savannah and I hung up the phone and I ventured back to the bed, pondering the clothes that were thrown on it.

"Let's just pack it all. Anything you have that's black and semi-dressy, pack it."

"Seriously?" Brooke exited the closet holding a silky button up blouse that looked to have black pearl buttons.

"Yes, and I like that shirt. Pack it. I'm going to go shower and gather the other things I am going to need. Thank you guys so much for doing all this."

"You're welcome!" They called out after me as I headed back to my bedroom.

Within two hours I was packed and we were all piled into my car, headed to Savannah's house. Brooke had promised she would take good care of my car while I was gone. She was also going to cover for me if my dad happened to call, because I hadn't had time to actually ask him if it would be ok for me to go.

"Hey!" Lucas exclaimed when all three of us entered Savannah's house, "I didn't know you were all coming over."

"Sorry, should have warned you. Where's Savannah?"

"Kitchen!" She yelled and I smiled.

I left Brooke and Haley to go sit with their men. Haley didn't look too happy, which I'm assuming meant she didn't realize Nathan was over here. I had figured as much, which is why I didn't say anything when he had answered the phone earlier, but I had hoped it wouldn't be too big of a deal.

"Hey." I entered the kitchen and saw Savannah downing the entire contents of a beer, "Um, who is driving us to the airport?"

She giggled.

"Cammie. She was going to go with us to Spain but she changed her mind. Oh, she packed some of her things for you cause she said since you are both blonde you had some secret connection that her things would look better on you than mine. But yeah, how many suitcases do you have?"

"Two."

"Now you have three." She smiled and downed another whole beer, "This is going to wear off before I get there anyway, but I just want to make sure that I've gotten myself prepared to be smashed for the next four days."

"Smashed huh?"

"Um, hello, 4 days in Spain with my mother who is going to be extra special because her dad just died. Yeah…" She grabbed one more beer and opened it, "Smashed."

After she finished drinking we headed into the living room where Camille had now joined the group, waiting for us to be ready to go.

"Alright Cammie, I think we are ready. Hi Brooke. Hi Haley." Savannah greeted her new guests and I was proud to see that Haley attempted a nice smile and wave instead of ignoring her completely, "Boys, remember to lock up when you leave please. Be good. Do not do anything I wouldn't do which really doesn't narrow things down much and don't have too much fun without me. I love you both, you're the best."

I watched Haley tense up as Savannah leaned over the couch to kiss both Lucas and Nathan on the cheek. She then did the same with Brooke, kissing her cheek and telling her how much she loved her.

"Haley? Hug, in case my plane crashes and we never see each other again?" Savannah offered a hug to Haley who sighed and nodded, letting Savannah awkwardly hug her over the back of the couch as well, "Alright, we are out of here."

About fourteen hours later we landed safely in Spain, on a private airstrip, on a beautifully manicured lush property that seemed to go on forever into the rolling hills. I could see Xander waiting for us, standing next to a perfectly polished black car. I assumed it had to be one of those really expensive luxury cars like a Rolls Royce or something because it wasn't like anything I had ever seen before.

Doing the quick calculations in my head I assumed it had to be about 11 am local time, which meant it was about 5 am in my head. Even though I had slept in the plane, it didn't fell like very much because I had been so excited about getting to Spain. I was definitely still tired, but the nerves were starting to hype me up again.

About an hour before we landed, Savannah and I had gone into the "bedroom" of the private jet to change into less comfortable, more "appropriate" clothing, so I was currently wearing a modest yet fitted black dress which fell just above my knees. Savannah had straightened my normally curly hair so that it fell in long cascades down my back. She affixed a shiny string of pearls around my neck and pinned small pearls in my ears. When it was all over the effect left me feeling like royalty or at least like the President's wife.

We exited the plane directly onto the runway. Someone who had been waiting on the runway for us quickly went into the plane to collect our luggage so that Savannah and I wouldn't have to carry a thing. We walked quickly across the runway and met Xander by the car. Savannah got to him first so she got to hug him first, but then it was my turn, and it suddenly hit me how long it had been since I had actually seen him.

"Wow." Was the first word out of his mouth as he looked me over, "You look… amazing."

"Thank you." I smiled at him and quickly I was in his arms, being hugged almost to death which was quickly followed by the kiss of a lifetime. I was left breathless, standing in front of him with his hands on my hips, just staring into his beautiful green eyes.

"We have to get back to the estate." He sighed, "We better go."

Savannah was already in the car so Xander and I followed. Once the door was shut the driver began to head down the paved path towards what looked like a castle. I assumed the castle was what Savannah and Xander called "the estate."

"What should we expect Xan? How is everyone?" Savannah asked as we drove.

"Well, Abuela is a wreck. Mom is… she's mom. She's barking orders at everyone and being a dictator. The kids are being pretty helpful but Orlando is pretty upset. He and Abuelo were pretty close so… yeah. Um, the Tia's are bustling around making sure all the food is ready and that all the little details are taken care of. Oh, you are going to meet mom's lover Jorge. He's kind of a jerk so just stay away from him if you can. Other than that, everything is set for the funeral and dinner and stuff tonight. Starting tomorrow you guys can go sightseeing and stuff though."

"Are you gonna be able to go with us?"

Xander smiled down at me and squeezed my hand which was in wrapped in his.

"I would love to but I'm gonna be pretty busy. Sorry baby." He kissed my forehead and before I had a chance to argue we were in the courtyard of the "estate."

I was a little bit confused as to why Xander would have asked me to come out here in the first place, had he known he wasn't really going to be able to spend time with me, but then I remembered I was in Spain and I figured that would have to be reward enough for me this time.

"Alonso will show you to your rooms." Xander motioned towards the staircase to our left, although I had seen at least three other staircases on our way into this room, "I'll be up in a minute to check on you guys."

Savannah and I followed Alonso up the staircase and it was much to my surprise that by the time we reached our rooms, our bags were already there.

"Our rooms are connected by this door right here." Savannah showed me the door that swung open from my room right into hers, "However, if you and Xander are having sex, I don't want to hear it. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." I laughed and turned to look around the room.

There were rich tapestries lining the walls, reminding me again of castles I had seen in movies. The four poster bed that sat on one wall was completely enclosed by rich red curtains that matched the walls. To be honest, the one bedroom was the size of my house in Tree Hill. I was so entranced in taking in the minute details of the woodwork, lighting, and fabrics that I didn't notice Xander had come in until he was holding me and kissing my neck from behind.

"It is taking ever fiber of restraint I have in my body not to rip you out of this dress right here, throw you on that bed and just…" Xander didn't even finish his sentence, just went back to nibbling on my neck and letting his hands wander over my body, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." With a quick glance towards the door connecting to Savannah's room, ensuring that it was closed, I turned around in his arms and quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his mouth to mine and kissing him hungrily, "Throw me on the bed and have your way with me."

Xander groaned and let his hands fall idly at my waist, pushing me back just a little so that we weren't so close.

"I can't beautiful. I have… a million things to do. Once this funeral is over and we've done the family thing, I should get at least a few hours that we can just relax and do whatever ok?"

I pouted a little but my common sense took over and I nodded.

"What is this family business that you have taken over anyway? I hate it already. It keeps you away from and occupies every second of your time. Even when I do think we have some time you're distracted…" He was already looking towards the bedroom door so I grabbed his chin and gently turned him to look back at me, "… like now."

"I'm sorry Peyt. I am. I just… I have a million things to do."

"What is the business? I don't even know what business you run."

"I… I can't tell you just yet. Soon though ok? Soon." Xander took my hands in his, kissed the back of each one and then dropped them to my side, "I love you. Don't forget that. I will see you soon."

Again, before I could object he was gone. Which left me to either find out what Savannah was doing or take a few minutes to unpack and hang up some of my clothes. I chose to unpack, needing a few more minutes alone to collect my thoughts.

When I had dragged all of my suitcases to the closet and turned on the light inside, I was surprised to see that it was half full already. Although the closet was the size of a small apartment on it's own, one whole side was taken to hang lots of what appeared to be designer suits. At the end there was a small wardrobe which, when opened, I found contained men's shoes. Besides the suits there were jeans, polo shirts, and an entire men's wardrobe. It took me a few minutes when I finally realized, this must be Xander's room. I hadn't realized that we would actually be staying in the same room. That lightened my mood a bit. At least we could spend the nights together, seeing as I wouldn't be getting his days.

"Peyton! Where are you?" Savannah called out from somewhere outside the closet.

"Closet!"

Within moments Savannah joined me in the closet, admiring Xander's suits.

"Hmm… my big brother seems to have upgraded his wardrobe a bit." She pulled one of the suits down and pulled out the tag in the jacket, "Very nice. These are Armani suits. Very upgraded. You reeled him at the right time Peyt. He's apparently no longer in the baggy jeans and t-shirt phase."

I laughed a bit as I continued to try and fill my side of the closet.

"Hey Savannah, what is it that your brother does? I mean, what is the business he's taken over? He won't tell me which is kind of weird."

"Well, he uh…" Savannah hesitated, "I'm sorry Peyt. I can't tell you if he won't."

I didn't even bother to argue. I knew automatically that she wouldn't tell me no matter what I said.

"So um… do you want to take a grand tour with me? I haven't been here since I was like three, so it's been awhile since I explored."

Savannah was making an effort to ease the tension that had built because of the unanswered question, so I could at least meet her halfway.

"Yeah. That will be fun."

Three hours later we had just made it back to our rooms when Xander joined us. We were laughing about all that we had seen through the house and the people we had run into. Savannah had been able to introduce me to all five of her Aunt's who were thankfully nicer than her mom. We had also see the other kids, who seemed to be happy to see us.

"Are you two ready to go the funeral?"

We hadn't realized Xander was even in the room so we jumped up from our spots on the bed and when we saw he was amused, we began to laugh again.

"No, we're gonna change. Is it now?" Savannah responded when she got the breath.

"Yeah, you have about 20 minutes."

"That's long enough." Savannah headed for her room and I headed for the closet.

Normally I would have relished in Xander's presence but at the moment, I was reminded that he was keeping a secret from me and I was not happy about it.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked quietly, joining me in the closet where I was pulling down the outfit Brooke had put together for me, including the trench coat she had designed.

I didn't even answer him. The silence should be answer enough.

"Ok, I get it. Peyton, I will tell you. I'll tell you later today I just need to get through this funeral first ok?" He moved over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

It was impossible for me to continue being mad once I was in his arms. I melted and tilted my head to the side, leaning it backwards against his shoulder. This gave him access to kiss my neck, which he did, softly and sensuously.

"Why is it such a secret? I don't understand." I sighed.

"You will."

That was all the answer I was going to get out of him for the time being. I relished in his kisses for a few more minutes and then pushed him away playfully, moving to get dressed so that we wouldn't be late.

It was exactly 45 minutes later when we found ourselves sitting in a church, listening to the memorial service which was conducted all in Spanish, which meant I understood nothing that was going on. Even though I couldn't understand the words, watching the various family members say goodbye still touched me, and I wondered why everyone else seemed so attached to this man and yet Xander and Savannah were not. It then occurred to me, as I looked around, that Mariah wasn't here. I made a mental note to ask either Xander or Savannah why at a more appropriate moment.

Later that evening, after we had attended the burial services at the cemetery and then attended a family dinner at a local restaurant, I found myself alone again, laying on the bed and staring at the canopy top of the four poster bed. It had been a very long day and I wanted to let sleep take over, like it was begging me to, but I also wanted to wait for Xander and spend a few more minutes with him before I passed out.

Unluckily for me, I waited an hour and with still no sign of him, my exhaustion took over and I drifted off to sleep.

When the sun was shining in my window the next morning, directly into my eyes, I realized that the night had come and gone and I had officially lost my chance to spend more time with my boyfriend. He was nowhere to be seen, and his side of the bed actually still appeared to be untouched. So much for waiting up for him. I would have waited all night.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Savannah entered the room from hers, completely dressed as if she had already been up for a whole day, "You missed breakfast but I saved you some."

She dropped a plate of food on the bed next to me and I felt the urge to hug her. I was suddenly starving.

"Thank you." I opened the plate and my stomach immediately growled. I quickly took a bite of what appeared to be potatoes and tasted like potatoes. It was amazing so I continued to eat it.

"Xander said to tell you that he's sorry that he didn't make it up here last night and he promises to be in to see you soon. Our mother and our aunts have had him up all night trying to decipher my grandfather's will. Apparently, once he's in the ground it is perfectly ok to start trying to divide his assets."

"Poor Xander. He hasn't slept at all?"

"Didn't look like it." Savannah sighed, "But if you are up to it, we have a busy day ahead of us. I arranged for the plane to fly us to Madrid for the day, so that we can shop and do some sightseeing. Do you want to?"

"Sure." I nodded, "I wanna see Xander first though. Do I have time?"

"Yeah, of course. Sweetie, it's our plane. We leave when we get there." Savannah hugged me, "I'll be in my room when you are ready."

I took my time finishing the food she had brought me, showering, and then getting dressed but when I was done, I still had not seen Xander.

"Hey Savannah…" I entered her room and was surprised to find that Xander was in here with her, whispering to her frantically.

"Hey Peyt." Savannah turned to me and so did Xander. The whispering immediately stopped and I immediately felt like there was something they were purposely trying to keep from me.

"Hey beautiful. Savannah says you guys are going to Madrid for the day?"

"Yeah I guess so." I was frowning at both of them and looking back and forth, "Ok, what is it that you aren't telling me?"

"It's nothing." Savannah assured me first.

"Nothing." Xander agreed.

"You guys. I know you are keeping something from me and I don't think it's just the business thing. What is it?"

"We should get going. We want to get there soon if we're gonna get any shopping done." Savannah countered.

Xander nodded, pulling me into his arms.

"Go have fun baby. I'll see you when you get back."

"Xander…"

"No. Don't argue. Just go." He kissed me softly, "I love you baby. Oh, wait, I do have something for you."

Xander reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, swiftly opening it and handing me a very shiny black Platinum Visa card, with my name on it.

"But whatever you want. It draws directly from my personal account so you shouldn't have any problem and if you do, Savannah will make sure to take care of it ok?"

"You got me a credit card?" I was both stunned and excited all at the same time.

"Well, a debit card." Xander smiled down at me, "I know better than to give a girl a real credit card."

"And on that note, let's go before you two get all mushy on me!" Savannah grabbed my arm and dragged me away from Xander, "Bye brother!"

"Bye little sister. Take care of Peyton for me."

"You know I will."

One short hour later we arrived on what appeared to be another private airstrip where a chauffeured car waited for Savannah and I. We exited the plane and entered the car without any hassle and immediately we were off into the city. As we drove by the beautiful architecture I wished I had a camera to be taking pictures and as if Savannah had been reading my mind, she materialized one and handed it to me.

"Another present from Xander. He figured you'd want pictures but wouldn't have brought a camera."

Savannah and I spent our day getting our pictures taken at all of the most important sights in Madrid and shopping at all the designer stores that I wouldn't normally be able to afford. I made sure that I picked up things for Brooke because I knew she would die if she knew I had been to an actual Balenciaga store without picking something up for her. Even though I didn't know what Balenciaga was, I knew she would.

Around 5 we decided it was dinner time and so Savannah had the driver take us to a beautiful outdoor restaurant situated in the heart of the city. I loved spending the day with Savannah but once we were seated and I noticed how romantic the atmosphere was, I really wished that Xander had been there instead. Of course I wouldn't tell Savannah that but she probably knew anyway.

"So, Xander asked me to give this card to you and it will tell you what the family business is, since he didn't get a chance to tell you himself yesterday. Don't say anything about it outloud. I'm going to hand this to you." She held up what looked like a greeting card with flowers on the front, "Read it. Smile like it says something sweet and then hand it back to me, ok?"

It was weird that she was giving me specific instructions for her to just tell me what the family business was, but I agreed and she handed me the card.

"Peyton, I am so sorry I wasn't able to tell you this in person, but like I have told you a million times already, things have been really crazy around here. The family business that I have agreed to take over is what can most accurately be described as an organized crime syndicate. No, not the mob. We don't really kill people, although I suppose it could be done if it needed to be. Mostly we deal with the black market and the sale of illegal and hard to find goods.

I know this probably comes as a surprise to you and I would completely understand if you weren't interested in being with me anymore because of it. The thing is Peyt, I love you, more than anything in the world. That is the one thing in this world that I know to be true. So if you would please look up right now, as I should now be sitting across from you, and tell me that you love me too. I have a question I would like to ask you."

When I looked up from the card Xander had indeed replaced Savannah at the table and he was smiling across at me. I hadn't even realized that while I was so engrossed in reading the card, a lot had changed around me. Suddenly there was no one in the courtyard with us, even though moments ago there had been at least 5 other groups at various tables. Savannah was nowhere to be seen either. It was just Xander and I, sitting in the candlelit courtyard and he was still grinning at me as if he had pulled off the biggest surprise in the history of man.

"Do you think that you'll still be able to love me, even knowing now what business I'm in?" He asked quietly.

That was a very good question. His surprise had thrown me off guard. I hadn't given a second thought to the fact I now understood my boyfriend to be a Spanish crime boss.

"I don't know Xander. It's a lot to take in." I sighed, "What are you doing here?"

"Do you love me?"

"I do." I was still wondering what this was all about, "Xander, seriously. What's going on?"

"Can you continue loving me despite the business I'm in?"

If I were answering honestly, the answer would be yes. Then again, I didn't really know what the business entailed. I had to answer him though, or else I would never find out the real reason behind him showing up here.

"Yes."

"Well, then…" Xander stood and for a second I thought he was going to walk away and disappear again, leaving me confused again, like he kept doing. Instead, he was suddenly kneeling at my side and holding both my hands in his while he stared into my eyes, "Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, will you marry me?"

That was not what I expected.


	18. Chapter 16: Back to Our Not So Normal

_**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You're all super awesome. Remember, if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to read, let me know and maybe I will write it in. I do know where this story is going to end but what happens in between is still up for changes, so tell me what you want to read. Tell me what you like and what you don't. Again, you guys rock! Enjoy!  
**_

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Back to Our Not So Normal Life**

**Brooke POV**

"P. Sawyer, I missed you so much!"

As soon as Peyton walked in the front door I couldn't wait to greet her. It had been a very long four days without her, even though I had spent most of it with Lucas. When you live with your best friend, you get used to having her around and when she's not, you get lonely.

"I missed you too." Peyton was laughing at me as I hugged her tight, "What? Did you break up with Lucas? Why so much love?"

"I just love you Peyt. I missed you." I was giggling as she stared at me in bewilderment, "I did miss you. The house was so lonely at night. Karen wouldn't let Lucas spend the night."

I pouted and once again Peyton was laughing at me. It was good to see her laugh.

"Well, I have tons to tell you and pictures to show. Spain was crazy!"

We left her bags by the front door and went into the living room, sitting on the couch cross legged so we could look at each other while we talked.

"So we flew there in Xander's plane, which is… amazing. It's huge. The plane is like bigger than this house, it was insane. We had a chef on the plane with us, although we didn't eat that much. Everything was so comfortable and plush and cushiony." Peyton gestured wildly with her hands while she talked, "And then we landed on this air strip in the middle of nowhere where we were surrounded by beautiful green hills. The only building in view from where we landed was what I assumed was a castle, which turned out to be the family estate. I swear to you. It is a real life castle. It was gorgeous."

Peyton reached into her purse, which was the one bag she had brought into the room with her and pulled out a small red digital camera that I didn't recognize.

"Look, I took these when we were leaving."

We scrolled through a few pictures of the hills and the house which was accurately described when she called it a castle. It was huge and I found myself wondering what it looked like on the inside.

"So, we get there. Xander picks us up at the air strip and we get driven up to the house is his Rolls Royce."

"You rode in a Rolls?"

"Yeah. I didn't really know what it was but that was the first thing I thought of because that's like one of those cars that you don't really see ever."

"I wanna ride in a Rolls." I pouted slightly.

"You're crazy." Peyton just rolled her eyes and continued with the story, telling me about the inside of the house and exploring with Savannah and the funeral, which was kind of sad, and then it was as she was telling me about the day she and Savannah spent in Madrid that I saw it.

"What the hell is that on your finger?"

Peyton suddenly hid both her hands from view but her grin covered her entire face from ear to ear.

"Is that what I think it is?"

When I reached for her hand she refused to bring it back into view for me to see. She just kept sitting on it.

"Wait, you have to listen to the story."

"Fuck the story Peyton. That looked like a diamond on a finger girls reserve for engagement and wedding rings."

"Well, that would be because Xander and I are engaged." She was still smiling from ear to ear as she pulled her hand back out where I could see and held it so the light shone perfectly on her ring finger, "He proposed in Madrid, that night. Savannah had set the whole thing up for him so he could have the perfect opportunity to propose. She said she was going to hand me a card which would explain the family business to me, since I had been asking about it, and instead, inside of it was a note from Xander. It did explain the family business but the very last lines said 'So if you would please look up right now, as I should now be sitting across from you, and tell me that you love me too. I have a question I would like to ask you.' And when I looked up, instead of Savannah sitting at the table with me, Xander was there. He got down on one knee, asked me to marry him and promptly presented me with the ring."

I was still admiring the perfect princess cut diamond solitaire ring that was adorning Peyton's hand.

"How many carats is this thing?" I turned her hand to see it from different angles but it remained perfect from all angles.

"I think three." Peyton shrugged, "Xander told me but I wasn't paying attention."

I continued to admire it until Peyton snapped her fingers in front of my face, making me instantly look up from her hand to her face.

"Brooke, can you believe it? I'm engaged."

Suddenly the reality of it hit me and immediately I jumped on her, hugging her until she was screaming for me to get off. I gave her a quick moment to breath and then jumped on her again.

"Oh my God, can I design your wedding dress?"

Peyton was laughing so hard that even though I wasn't on her anymore she still couldn't breathe.

"Of course." She replied, "I can't believe you just tried to kill me. I still can't breathe."

"Sorry. P. Sawyer, this is the coolest thing ever! You're engaged!"

She nodded enthusiastically and then together we broke into a round of screaming happily.

"Wow, what is going on in here?" There was a distinctly male voice that had suddenly come from the front room which instantly made Peyton and I both shut up, "Peyton?"

Peyton looked from me and then back towards the hidden front room before answering.

"Dad?" Peyton hastily took the ring off, shoved it at me and mouthed "Hide it." just as Larry Sawyer walked into the room, "Dad! What are you doing here?"

"I live here." He quickly scooped Peyton up into his arms and swung her around the room, "I missed you so much Peyton."

"I missed you too."

I looked down at the beautiful ring in my hand and contemplated my options. Since I didn't have any pockets to stuff it in and I didn't want to lose it in my bra or underwear, I did the only thing I could think of. I put it on.

"And look at little Brooke, all grown up. You still spending most of your time at my house instead of yours?"

"Your house is my house." I grinned widely at him, "My parents moved to California so I moved in here, with Peyton."

Larry looked stunned for a minute, glancing back and forth between Peyton and I but then he nodded as if he approved.

"Well at least neither of you are alone. Whose bags are those by the front door? Did you just move in?"

"No, um actually I just got back from a trip to Spain." I lied, "My new friend Savannah has a brother who lives there and he flew us out for a few days."

"Really? Savannah? Do I know her?"

"Not unless you've been here sometime between the beginning of summer and now." Peyton smiled but something about the smile didn't reach her eyes and I could see that it was fake, "So Daddy, how long are you in town?"

"Well, I know that I've been promising you for months to get here and deal with this Ellie thing and you have no idea how hard it was getting away, but I finally made it so I figured I'd be here as long as it takes. You must be pretty confused huh kiddo?"

"I was, at the beginning of summer yeah. But Ellie stopped coming around and well, I found other things to think of and now I don't really care." Peyton looked at me and smiled then looked back at her dad, "So let's just say that she never came around and now you're home, so I think we should celebrate. Dinner?"

Larry looked a little stunned and he contemplated Peyton for a minute, looking his daughter over to see if he could get any silent clues from her about her new demeanor.

"Something is different about you." He stared at Peyton for a few more seconds but then shrugged, "Let's go celebrate. Me, my daughter and… well, my new daughter I guess."

"Yay. I need to change."

Peyton and I grabbed the bags from in front of the steps and ran upstairs, into her room, shutting the door behind us quickly.

"Holy shit, I cannot believe that my dad is here. Finally and just when I wish he wasn't." Peyton groaned and then stopped, "Are you wearing my ring?"

"I didn't want to lose it and I had nowhere to stash it." I took it off and sadly handed it to her so she could put it away safely, tucking it into a pocket in her purse. "So what's the game plan? We just lied to your dad about it being me going to Spain. You are hiding the fact that you are engaged and you made him suspicious because you said you don't care if he tells you about Ellie. If we go out for dinner and we run into anyone, especially Savannah or even Cammie, we are screwed. You know that right?"

"Yes." Peyton exhaled loudly, "I don't know what to do. My dad is going to FREAK if he finds out I'm dating let alone engaged to a 21 year old who lives in Spain!"

"Girls! Hurry! I'm starved!"

"Ok, so then we…" I had to think quickly on this one, "We call everyone we know right now and tell them the story."

"That's too many people!" Peyton groaned again, and her shoulders slumped in defeat, "We're going to have to go and just hope we don't see anyone we know and if we do, try to give them hints to not say anything before they actually do."

"That's a crappy plan."

"It's all I've got."

I tried to quickly think of another plan but we were quickly interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

"Girls, what are you doing in there? Let's go huh?"

"Coming daddy!" Peyton yelled and quickly she pulled out a few items of clothing from one of her bags, "Put those on. You bought them in Spain."

"I did?" I admired the pretty designer duds Peyton had bought for me and quickly slipped into them, "Oh, I love me right now."

Peyton quickly changed too and before Larry could knock again she swung the door open and smiled wide.

"We're ready. Sorry daddy."

"That's better." He smiled at us both, "Come on. I'm thinking we should go to Karen's. I haven't seen her in ages."

Peyton and I both exchanged looks that said Karen's was the last place we should go.

"Papa Peyton, that might not be a great idea. Karen's has been really busy lately. We might not even be able to get a table." I tried to change his mind.

"Nonsense. I passed by there on my way in. There was no one there." He smiled at both of us, "Why do you really not want to go to Karen's? Is it Lucas again? You two aren't still going back and forth over him are you?"

"Lucas?" Peyton almost laughed but I kicked her and she quickly stopped, "Yes. Lucas is, well, hot, and so Brooke and I just, can't decide who should have him."

"Right now though, I'm winning." I added, just instinctively and Peyton kicked me back.

"Well I would like to see Lucas to talk to him about that. And I would really like to see Karen, so we're going. You two will just have to work it out."

"I'm winning?" Peyton hissed at me as we headed for her car in the driveway, "Good going Brooke."

"What? What was I supposed to say?" I feigned innocence but we couldn't talk anymore once we were in the car.

"You don't mind if I drive do you Peyt?"

"No." Peyton smiled at her dad, "I'm glad you're home daddy."

"Me too sweetie." Larry smiled back and then put the car into gear, pulling out of the driveway and heading down the road towards Karen's.

It only took a few minutes to get there and regrettably, Larry was right. The place was almost empty. The only table that was currently occupied unfortunately contained the one group of people that could completely shatter our already shaky cover story. Savannah, Nathan, Haley, Camille, and Lucas all sat around the large table in the middle of the room and even from our parking spot they looked like they were having a great time.

"And we are in luck. Exactly the man I wanted to see." Larry put an arm around each of us, Peyton on one side and me on the other, "Come on girls."

The bells jingled as soon as we walked in signaling to everyone that we had arrived, and much to our horror, they all noticed.

"Hey!" Lucas was the first to get up and greet us, "Mr. Sawyer, you're back!"

"I am." Larry let go of Peyton and I so that he could shake Lucas's hand, "How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you? When'd you get back?"

With Lucas occupying a little of her dad's time, I motioned for Peyton to hurry and sit with the others, trying to make sure they didn't say anything that would blow our cover. Peyton took the hint and quickly sat down.

"So think you'll stay long?"

"Long enough to say hi to your mom." Larry smiled over the counter where Karen stood, smiling back, "Excuse me kids."

With Karen now occupying his time I had a chance to fill Lucas in.

"Quick, listen to me. We are trying to cover up from Papa Peyton over there that Peyton went to Spain, or that she's dating Xander, well I guess they aren't just dating anymore since he proposed but still, we don't want him to know. So if he says anything I went to Spain with Savannah. We just got back. You and I are currently an item but sometimes you struggle and think maybe you still want Peyt ok?"

"Uh…" Lucas was frowning at me, "Ok. I can do that and they can probably do that but it doesn't look like my mom is in on the plan."

I turned to see where Karen and Larry were standing and suddenly Papa Peyton didn't look too happy. He turned to look at Peyton and then back to Karen who looked like she was apologizing and then he looked over at me and I had no idea exactly what he knew, but I knew it wasn't good.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. Brooke Penelope Davis. Car, now."

"Shit." I cursed very quietly and took one more look up at Lucas before dragging myself out of the café, mumbling a quick bye to everyone before I had really even said hi.

Peyton followed me closely.

"Tell me the truth. All of it right now."

"Um… what did Karen tell you and I'll fill in the blanks." Peyton offered, almost jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood before her dad tried to kill her.

"Tell me everything Peyton. From the beginning. I don't mind hearing parts for a second time."

"Well…" Peyton hesitated but then gave in, "Savannah moved here at the beginning of summer and we all kind of instantly became friends with her…"

As Peyton told the story I could see Larry getting more angry. I wasn't sure if he was just angry because we had lied to him or if he was angry that Peyton was with Xander or what his anger covered. His mouth was rigidly straight and his eyes kept squinting more and more, to the point where they almost couldn't be seen. He kept wringing his hands, as if he wanted to strangle someone. I hoped he wasn't planning on strangling us.

Peyton was just getting to the good part, where Xander proposed, when we were suddenly interrupted.

"What's going on here?"

Peyton and I turned around and there he was, the topic of our conversation, Xander Carter. He too, like Larry, looked pissed.

"Who the hell are you?" Larry pushed Peyton and I behind him, to protect us from the guy he didn't know.

"Who the hell are you?" Xander didn't back down, coming chest to chest, I assume thinking he was protecting us too.

"Xander." Savannah came running out of the café before any sort of fight could ensue. She immediately positioned herself between her brother and Peyton's dad. She placed both her hands on Xander's chest and backed him up a few steps, "Xander, back off. That's Peyton's dad."

I saw Xander lean in and whisper something to Savannah hurriedly. His eyes never left Larry, as if he was still sizing him up. Savannah nodded, agreeing with whatever it was that her brother had said to her. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and then walked away, coming instead to stand close to me, on the steps of Karen's café.

"Mr. Sawyer, I…"

"I know who you are." Larry interrupted and he didn't back down at all from his position blocking Peyton and I from Xander's line of sight, "How dare you."

"Sir, I meant no harm. I really just thought that you were harassing them."

"No!" Larry yelled, "How dare you come in here and take advantage of my little girl. She's only 17! Sure, she thinks she loves you now but I know guys like you. The type who swoop in when a girl is vulnerable, woo them, screw with them, and then leave them, heartbroken and devastated. I will not let you do that to my daughter."

"Sir, I have no intention of breaking her heart or leaving her, ever. I love her more than anything in the world."

The others were starting to trickle outside from the café now, Lucas standing by my side, Nathan, Haley, and Camille with Savannah on the steps. Karen had the door open, standing in the doorframe.

"You aren't even old enough to make those kind of promises, and neither is she. Stay the hell away from my daughter or I will have you arrested, do you understand?"

"With all due respect, there's not a chance in hell I'm staying away from your daughter." Xander seemed to be getting angry now and he took a step forward. Larry was much taller but Xander was much more menacing.

"Back off Xander." Larry growled.

"No. I've been here for her all summer. Maybe not here personally, but I'm the one she's been able to talk to about what's going on with her life. I'm the one she can tell about her hopes, her fears… her mother. Where have you been? Who are you to tell me to back off?"

Before any of us could try to stop him, Larry punched Xander right in the jaw, knocking him back a few steps. He recovered quickly and lunged for Larry but Lucas and Nathan had reacted quickly, coming between them so no more punches could be thrown.

"It's cool. I'm cool." Xander held his hands up as if to surrender, nodding at Nathan and Lucas. A small drop of blood trickled down his chin from his split lip and he wiped it away as if it were nothing. "Peyton, I'm gonna go so your dad doesn't do anything else he might regret later."

Larry lunged but Lucas held him back.

"I love you baby girl. You know how to reach me."

Peyton began to cry and I pulled her into my arms as we watched Xander walk away. Savannah grabbed Camille and they ran off after Xander, hurrying down the street. We saw the three of them get into his Range Rover and then they drove away.

When they were gone, the only sounds that could be heard around us were Peyton's sobs and Larry's deep breaths. Lucas backed away and he and Nathan returned to the sidelines, all of us waiting for something to be said.

Larry opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to everyone, but he closed it again. His shoulders sagged and he hung his head. He was clearly distressed but I don't think any of us knew what to say.

We were all still standing in silence when Peyton sniffled, wiped her tears and began to dig through her purse. I had a feeling I knew what she was looking for but I wasn't sure now was such a good time.

She found her ring, slipped it on and started to scream.

"How could you do that? How could you hit him? I love him!"

Larry turned to look at her and she was holding her hand up in front of his face.

"We're engaged. I'll be 18 in a few months and after that, there is nothing you will ever be able to do to keep me away from him because I will marry him, move to Spain, and for all I care, I will never see you again."

None of us could stop her as she pushed her way past me, Larry, Nathan, Haley, Lucas and Karen, heading for a place inside the café where I assumed she would go to hide. Larry stood rooted to one spot, stunned, and none of us could really say a word. Lucas put his arm around me and led me inside the café. Once he and I and Nathan and Haley were inside, Karen went down the steps to try and comfort Larry.

"That was intense." Haley said first, "You guys ok?"

The four of us sat at a table and looked around at each other, making sure that none of us had any visible wounds.

"I should go find Peyton." I sighed, "I'll be back you guys."

"I'll come with you." Haley offered.

We left Nathan and Lucas sitting at the table, heading towards the back of the café in search of Peyton. We checked the bathrooms first but she wasn't in either one. We checked the kitchen but that was empty too. The only other place to look was the roof, so Haley showed me the way. Of course, it was there that we found her, standing at the edge, watching her dad talk to Karen.

Her tears had dried and she instead just fiddled with her ring while she watched and listened.

"I tried to get back as soon as I could but… and then… Engaged? She's too young. He's too old." Larry was pacing and running his hands through his hair, "I'm gonna lose her. She's going to hate me if she doesn't already and I am going to lose… What have I done?"

"Hey gorgeous." Haley and I approached Peyton quietly, "How you doin'?"

Peyton turned, smiled slightly at us, and turned back. She shrugged her shoulders in response to my question and then stepped back from the edge.

"How did this night get so screwed up?" She asked as she headed for a nearby picnic table, "What happened? I mean, a few hours ago I came home from Spain and now here we are… my Dad just punched my fiancé and… I don't even know what Xander was doing here. I left him 20 hours ago in Spain and he said he wouldn't be able to get away for weeks. Now here he is, wandering into situations that get him hit. I need to call him."

Before she could reach her cell phone Haley and I both wrapped our arms around her and hugged her, sort of restraining her arms so she couldn't grab the phone.

"There are a lot of questions Peyt, but maybe the best thing to do right now is just let them both cool off. I'm sure your dad is going to come around. He wouldn't risk losing you just for holding a grudge against Xander."

"I don't know Brooke. He might. I mean… I was so angry with him at the beginning of the summer for not being here when I needed him. I wanted him to get here and tell me about Ellie and tell me what a sham my life was. And then I met Xander… he was everything I needed and more. He understands me, talks to me, makes me feel… wanted. He makes me feel beautiful like I'm worth the effort. He made me forget about Ellie and forget about my anger towards my dad and I was so happy, I didn't care anymore." Peyton wiped away the one tear that threatened to escape, "I love my dad. Until Xander, he was the only person in the world who loved me unconditionally…"

"Hey." I scoffed.

"I love you Brooke but we have had those times where…"

Without saying it she brought my memory back to when we had not been friends because we were fighting over Lucas.

"Oh, ok." I shut up.

"I just don't know what to do now."

The three of us sat quietly for a minute. There wasn't really anything that I knew to say that could make her feel better.

"Maybe this isn't the best way to look at things," Haley started, "but the way I see it, you have a few months until you turn 18 and can marry Xander anyways. He is mostly going to be in Spain, so you won't really have to deal with him and your dad coming face to face. Concentrate on the relationship here with your dad, but obviously keep talking to Xander on the phone without your dad knowing, and then in a few months if your dad still hasn't come around to the idea of you and Xander being together, then there's nothing else you can do. Marry Xander, move to Spain, although just so you know I don't like that idea, and be happy."

"I'm not really going to move to Spain. Not permanently anyway. We talked about it. Once we are married, Xander is going to buy us a house here and that way we can live here half the year and over there the other half."

"There you go." Haley and I both hugged her again and I saw her smile.

"Thanks guys. I don't know what I would do without you."

We heard the door open and all three of us turned around to see Karen, Nathan, and Lucas walking over to us. They all sat down with us. Lucas put his arm around me. Nathan held Haley. Karen comforted Peyton.

"Your dad went home." Karen said, "He walked to clear his head so he told me to give you your keys. He also asked me to tell you he was sorry and he hopes you will come home tonight to talk to him."

She handed Peyton the keys to the car and Peyton sighed.

"Not that you want my opinion, but I think you should go home and talk to him." Karen added.

Peyton nodded but didn't talk. She just kept her head lying on Karen's shoulder and we all sat in silence.

"Can I see your ring?" Haley finally asked, "I've been dying."

Peyton laughed a little and moved her hand into Haley's line of sight.

"Ooh, very pretty."

The mood became a bit lighter and the six of us sat there talking about Peyton's trip to Spain and what had been going on here while she was gone. It was almost thirty minutes later when Peyton's phone rang. She looked at it and we all knew it was Xander. She stood up and walked away, leaving the rest of us watching her. She nodded and sighed. She talked very calmly and quietly. She only spent a few minutes on the phone and then returned to our group.

"I need to go see Xander."

Karen gave her a look and Peyton sighed.

"I am going home. I promise." Peyton assured her, "I just need to talk to Xander for a minute before I do. Can someone give Brooke a ride home?"

"I will." Lucas volunteered and Karen agreed to let him.

"Alright. I'll see you later." Peyton hugged us all and then she left.

Pretty quickly after that we all dispersed, Haley and Karen to go clean up and close the café. Nathan waited so he could give Haley a ride home and Lucas took me home.

"Do you need me to go in with you?" Lucas asked when we pulled up to Peyton's house. All the lights in the house were on so we assumed Larry was home.

"No. I'm fine." I sighed, "I just don't want to go in yet."

"I don't blame you." Lucas replied, "We can just sit here for a minute."

"Thanks."

He put the car in park, turned it off and took off his seatbelt, pulling me across the middle console and onto his lap. His hand rested on my collarbone, caressing my shoulder, neck, and up to my cheek. I closed my eyes, savoring his touch and gasped when his lips replaced his fingers. He kissed my neck, nibbled my earlobe, and eventually found his way to my lips, pushing them apart with his tongue to gain entrance.

While we kissed I let him roam over my body with his hands. He found my boob and massaged it, making me moan. He worked his way down, lifting my shirt a little to expose my stomach so that he could run his fingers over my bare skin. His hand found the waistband of my jeans and quickly unbuttoned them, pulling down the zipper allowing room for his hand to slip inside.

When his fingers found what they wanted, I gasped and dug my nails into his shoulder, making him groan. Every flicker of his finger made me dig in more and kiss him harder. We both knew there was no way he was going to be able to come upstairs with me and anyone could see us in the car at anytime, but at that moment it didn't matter. His fingers made me writhe around in his lap. While he played with me I moved my lips to his neck and took to sucking on his flesh instead of his lips.

"I want you so bad." He moaned, "I need you."

"I need you too baby, but where can we go?"

He was quiet for a moment without stopping his fingers from pleasuring me.

"There's nowhere I guess." He sighed and then stopped moving, "If I'm not getting release then neither are you."

"Hey!" I cried out, "That's not fair."

Lucas shrugged and smiled playfully.

"You better get inside."

I smacked his chest lightheartedly and sighed, crawling off his lap and back into the passenger seat. It took me a second to zip and button my pants and then I sighed.

"No school tomorrow. What are your plans?"

"I'm gonna go work with Keith at the garage for awhile and then Nate and I promised Savannah we would work with her on what we did at practice all week while she was gone. That might change with everything that's going on so if it does I'll call you to hang out ok?"

"Ok." I leaned over and kissed him, letting the kiss linger a little longer than normal and then pulling away, "Love you."

"Love you." He reached over me and opened the door then leaned back and watched me walk towards the house.

As soon as the door shut behind me and I was inside the house, Larry appeared, clearly hoping I was Peyton coming home.

"Sorry Papa Peyton, just me."

"It's ok Brooke. I'm glad you're home safe." He slumped his shoulders and turned to head back towards the living room.

"She said she would be home in a little bit." I called out, hoping that would ease his worry a little bit.

"Thanks." He smiled at me and then disappeared.

In my room, settling into bed, I thought about the days events. I hoped Peyton did come home and talk to her dad, because there was still a lot to be worked out.

_**PLEASE REVIEW!! I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!! I'M BEGGING!!**_


	19. Chapter 17: Vacation Plans

_**Alright, so here it is. Chapter Seventeen... I'm working on getting a beta, so if anyone is interested, please send me a message or write it in a review. Speaking of reviews, I know it's a little crazy for me to beg for reviews but I seriously live off of what you guys have to say so I really, really could use some opinions. Good or bad, doesn't matter, just please tell me. Alright, thanks guys! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Vacation Plans**

**Savannah POV**

It was time. Time to get out of Tree Hill, forget our problems and just have a good time, because this was starting to get ridiculous. It was impossible to be happy if you were drowning in your sorrows. Since we had a school holiday coming up, I was going to get my friends away from their sorrows.

It had been a few months since Peyton's dad had hit Xander, vowing that he wouldn't allow them to be together. While he still hadn't come around to the idea of them being together, Xander was back in Spain, so there wasn't really anything he could do about it. Peyton and Xander were still talking on the phone every single day and had plans to marry after graduation. Since Peyton's birthday fell on the first day of the school holiday, she would soon have no trouble being able to see Xander whenever she wanted.

"Daddy, I just want us to be able to have fun. Everyone's been so mopey lately. Peyton's still bummed because her dad won't let her see Xander. Nate, Luke, and I have been working our butts off for basketball. We have our first game right after the holiday and I think we should be relaxed. Brooke's dealing with the tension living with Peyton and Peyton's dad. Haley… well, Haley still hates me but that doesn't matter. I think Cammie's probably the only one that doesn't really need the vacay but that's because she's dating Tim who is the comic relief around here so… please, please, please say you can set something up for us."

"I'll see what I can do Savannah. No promises and make sure that anyone who is coming gets permission from their parents, understand?"

"Yes sir." I grinned. My plan was coming together, "Love you daddy."

"Love you too pumpkin. I'll call you tonight."

While my dad worked out our vacation details, I decided it was time to see what my friends thought of the idea.

"Ok, so my dad is going to get us a place to stay in New York City. He is going to set us up with whatever we want. Show tickets, tours, the works. Brooke, you're especially going to like this one. He has us guaranteed entrance to the Victoria's Secret Fashion show taping."

Brooke squealed and was immediately grinning.

"Plus, Cammie, you've been talking for months about seeing that modeling guy in the city. You could do that while we're there. Peyton, celebrating your birthday in style! I'm sure I could pull Xander away from Spain for a few days so you two could have some time together. The whole trip is all inclusive. I'm paying for everything so all you need is yourself and your bags, but no "baggage" allowed. This is a fun trip."

"I'm in." Nathan was the first one to agree, "This is exactly what we need before the basketball season starts. A little rest and relaxation will take our minds off of everything. Plus mid-terms are a few weeks after break. Hales, you're so stressed about mid-terms. This would be a chance to relax, clear your head, and come back refreshed so you can ace them."

"Yeah, except my entire family will be in town. We can't go. We promised them we would be here for the holiday."

Nathan groaned and glanced over at me, nodding.

"We did. We promised."

I pouted but vowed I wasn't giving up on them. I'd come back to try and convince them. For now, I would turn my convincing powers on the rest of the group.

"You know I'm in and of course Tim." Camille agreed, "Right?"

"A partay in NYC? I'm there." Tim crossed his arms like he was gangster and I had to laugh at him.

"Ok, that's two. Brooke? Luke?"

"I'm there. You will hear no objections from me. The Victoria Secret Fashion show? That's totally awesome!" Brooke exclaimed, "Luke, you'll come right?"

"I have to convince my mom. Since she's been dating Larry, the two of them have concocted some weird notion that we're all up to no good." Lucas sighed, "If she will say yes, then I'm in."

"My dad can't keep me here. I'll be 18." Peyton was smiling, "We're gonna go crazy in New York City and party for my birthday?"

"Of course!" I hugged her and sighed, "So then that's just you two. Haley, there's no way you can get out of the parental obligations?"

"No." She shook her head, "I haven't seen my parents in almost a year. Plus my sisters and brothers with their spouses and kids. We don't get together with the whole family very often so there's no way I'm letting them down."

"Can't get Nate out of it either?"

As soon as I said it Nathan's eyes lit up but Haley's expression turned to hatred. She looked like she wanted to kill me.

"Oh my God, please Hales. If there was anything that I have ever asked of you, spending the holiday in New York City would be it." Nathan was practically begging his wife, "I will miss you dearly but it is just a few days. I will even come back early but I need a few days. Tell them I couldn't get out of these plans with my friends or something."

"Nathan!" Haley pouted, "Don't do that. You're putting me in an impossible situation."

"Please…" He was pouting back like a kid with his hands together like he was begging.

She glared at him, then glared at me, and back to him.

"Can we not talk about this here?" Haley hissed at him, "Let's go."

Nathan sighed and turned to me, hugging me as Haley stood to grab their things to leave.

"I'll get back to you." He told me, "Don't count me out yet."

"Ok."

I watched them leave and then turned back to the rest of the group who was still with me in my living room.

"Alright, so we are in. Any special requests? What do you guys want me to line up for New York?"

For the next few hours we sat and planned our New York trip. I called my dad a few times to see if he had any new details and was eventually able to find out where we were staying and a general itinerary. We talked about shopping, touring the city, making the stops to places like Cammie's modeling agent. We of course had the fashion show lined up already. Everyone was super excited by the time my phone rang a few hours later.

I looked at the caller ID and it said Nathan, so I picked it up quickly.

"What's the verdict?"

"I'm in. Haley is pissed at me but she will get over it this time. I need this vacation. So what's the plan?"

"We will leave after we get out of school Wednesday and we're staying until Sunday morning. We'll fly back Sunday morning so that will give us the rest of the day Sunday to prepare to go back to school Monday. My dad called and he has the hotel set up for us. We are staying at the Waldorf Astoria. My dad got us an entire floor which has been converted to a large suite, specifically for us. The VS fashion show is Saturday night. Other than that we were just trying to figure out what else we wanted to do.

"Any chance we can catch a basketball game? I don't like the Knicks but they would do if we had to."

"Oh, that's a good idea. I'll check into it." I grinned, "I'm so glad you get to go with us Nate. Now I just have to go convince Karen and minus Haley, the group is complete."

"Well, Haley's happier staying here with her family anyway." Nathan sighed, "I love her but she's just not a traveler."

"Except when she's touring."

"Well, there was that." Nathan laughed, "Alright, I gotta go. I will see you at school tomorrow."

"Later gator."

I hung up the phone and sat quietly for a second watching my excited friends talking about the trip. I was so excited and happy that we were going to be able to pull this off. We all needed a vacation so bad.

"Alright, so for today, I think we covered everything. I will run ideas by my dad and see what he can get us. I will see everyone at school tomorrow. Right now, Lucas, I think you and I need to go see your mom."

"Yeah. Let's do that." Everyone started to disperse and eventually it was just Lucas and I left in the living room.

We both jumped into my car and drove the short distance to his house where his mom, unfortunately, was sitting in the kitchen laughing with Larry Sawyer. Larry could complicate the situation.

"Hey mom." Lucas kissed his moms cheek and I followed him by hugging her, "Hey Mr. Sawyer."

"Lucas, when are you going to start calling me Larry? I keep telling you that you don't need to call me Mr. Sawyer."

"Um…" Lucas looked slightly uncomfortable, "I'll try Larry."

"What are you kids doing? What's the rest of the gang up to?" Karen asked.

"Well…" Lucas and I both pulled up chairs at the table, "We were actually all just at Savannah's house but she and I came over here to talk to you about something."

"Oh really?" Karen raised her eyebrow suspiciously, "Ok, go ahead."

Lucas looked to me and I guess it was going to be up to me to convince her.

"Well, since we've all been kinda stressed with school, and basketball, and stuff, um, I planned a vacation for us. I'm paying for all of us to go to New York City over the holiday, and we're hoping that you're going to allow Lucas to come along."

"Peyton's not going." Larry interjected, "And for that matter, neither is Brooke."

"Well," I sighed, "Brooke technically doesn't need your permission because her parents don't live here and she's allowed to do whatever she wants. And well, sir, without wanting to cause trouble in any way at all, Peyton will be 18 the first day of the holiday. She doesn't need your permission either."

He didn't respond. His eyes were dark and angry, but he didn't say a word. I took this as a sign that he knew I was right and turned back to Karen.

"We will be leaving after school Wednesday night and coming back Sunday morning. I can leave all our contact information for where we are staying, everyone's cell phone numbers including how to reach my dad who will be there too. Anything that would make your more comfortable with the idea, I can probably arrange."

"Savannah…" Karen smiled at me but shook her head, "An unsupervised trip for.. What 8 teenagers to New York City for 4 and a half days? I don't think so sweetheart."

"It's not unsupervised. My dad is in New York City. He set up everything for me. He's paying for it. There will be supervision and we're not doing anything illegal or bad at all. We talked about it and we're trying to set up activities that everyone will enjoy. My dad got us tickets to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I'm going to try to get us tickets to a Knicks game. We might see a musical on Broadway or just walk around Times Square. We are staying at a really nice hotel, The Waldorf Astoria in a customized suite. It's going to be incredible and I really, really want Lucas to go."

"You two aren't dating again are you?" Karen questioned randomly.

"No." We both replied almost too quickly.

"But Brooke is going." Karen continued.

"Yes." We replied in unison again.

"I don't know you two. I really don't think it's a good idea. Lucas, you don't want to spend the holiday with family? Keith's going to come over and we're making a big meal for… well I guess it will just be you, me, Larry, and Keith since Peyton and Brooke are… Don't you want to be part of that?"

"I love you mom but how often do I get the chance to take an all expenses paid trip to New York City? This is seriously once in a lifetime."

"Technically I could take you like… later, if you wanted." I said and Lucas gave me the "shut up" look. "No. You're right. It's once in a lifetime."

"Lucas…" Karen seemed like she might be considering it but she was still very hesitant.

"If you let him come with us, I will not only be forever grateful and will love you forever and ever, but I will… I don't know. What do you want? Anything in the world? I can buy it for you."

"Savannah." Karen smiled sweetly at me, "It's not about that. I don't want you to think you have to pay me to convince me. I'm just worried that you're all very young, most of you still minors, and we're sending you to New York City. Supervised or not, and I do trust your father, there's just a lot of you to watch."

"Well… Haley decided not to come, so I do have room for ONE more person." I stressed the one because I didn't want Larry to invite himself along because he was a big part of the problems we all needed to escape, "You could come too if you want."

This time Karen seemed a little less hesitant and although I knew inviting her would mean that Brooke and Lucas had slightly less sexual fun, at least he would get to go.

"That is a very tempting offer sweetie." Karen nodded and sighed, "Alright, look. I know you kids want a reprieve from your everyday lives and problems so I will decline on going along and I will let Lucas go, on one condition."

"Anything." I tried not to look to overjoyed yet but Lucas was squeezing my hand excitedly under the table.

"You will call me every single day with an update on what you are doing, who is with you, and to make sure you are safe. And I want cool souvenirs."

"That's two conditions." I frowned playfully.

"Don't push it young lady."

"Yes ma'am. Conditions met. We will call you everyday. We will bring you back lots of cool stuff. We promise."

"Ok. Then Lucas you officially have my permission to go on this trip with your friends but do NOT let me down. Behave, do things that are legal, and stay out of trouble, ok?"

"I can do that." Lucas and I both stood and hugged Karen tightly, "Love you mom."

"I love you too." She kissed his forehead and then kissed mine.

"Yeah, love you mom." I added.

"Love you too." She hugged me again, "Alright, so you two get out of here. Go have fun and… be good."

"Oh, we'll try." I laughed and Lucas and I joyfully headed back to my car.

As soon as we were outside the house he grabbed me and swung me around the yard, placing playful kisses all over my face.

"You are amazing. That was awesome. Very good persuasion technique although if she had agreed to come along, I might have killed you."

"Yeah no problem buddy." I ignored the kisses and the death threat and moved on, "I have so many things to line up. I am definitely going to need this vacation when it's time for it. What about you? Where to?"

"Um, well, my car is at your house so I guess your house. Maybe I'll just hang around and help you if that's possible."

"Thanks Luke." I started the car and put it into drive, moving it down the street back towards my house, "You might be able to help me. We'll see."

After long, painstaking hours of persuasion and arguments, I had the entire trip mapped out and planned, just in time for us to actually go.

That Wednesday, classes seemed to be never-ending. Most of the teachers, thank god, chose not to give us homework over the holiday, so we had lucked out in that area, but nonetheless the minutes ticked by as we all stared at the clocks, willing them to move just a little bit faster.

Since the day that Nathan had convinced Haley to let him go with us on the trip, she had all but refused to talk to me, clearly blaming me for him leaving her at home alone. We were still lab partners for our Biochem class, but we literally did our work in semi-silence and parted ways directly after class.

"She hates me Nathan. I thought that after like, months of being friends with you and being nice to her and not doing anything to make her hate me, she would stop hating me and yet here we are, three months into the school year, and she hates me. What else can I do? I invite her to all of my social gatherings. I invited her to New York, she turns me down and then gets pissed at me when you come anyway! I try to let it not get to me, cause you're the best friend in the world, but seriously, talk to your wife! Make her stop!"

"I've tried." He argued back as we arrived at our lockers, "I have tried. She is still so… I guess insecure is the word to use. She is completely sure that I'm going to decide one of these days that I want you instead of her, which, you know I love you, but not like that. I'm completely devoted to her but for reasons that remain a mystery to me, she refuses to see it."

"No, she sees it." I slammed my locker closed after inserting my Biochem book and turning to Nathan to wait so that we could head to Whitey's class together, "She sees your devotion and maybe, due to her own misgivings from the past, refuses to… I don't know, be secure. My feeling is that she realizes she slipped with Chris Keller and figures you will too at some point. Why me and not Brooke, Peyton, or Cammie I don't know. If you were going to slip, you could slip with anyone."

"Well Peyton and I dated back in the day, so she realizes that's way over. Brooke has Lucas and she's great friends with Haley so I guess Haley just trusts her. You're new and so is Cammie. You may notice she doesn't exactly chill with Cammie either."

"That's true." I had noticed the cold shoulder was given to Cammie most of the time too, although in that respect, Cammie didn't care. She just gave it back and went on with her life. She had always been nonchalant in that respect. If someone didn't like her, she didn't go out of her way to like them either. "Doesn't matter though dammit. I'm a nice person. I'm just so effing tired of the drama and tension."

"Effing? What are we in grade school?" Nathan teased.

I didn't have time to respond because we had reached the classroom. Nathan took his seat and I headed for Whitey's empty desk to locate my student roster and start taking attendance. By this time I knew who everyone was so I didn't need to call out anyone's names, just look over who was there and who wasn't, noting a presence as they continued to walk in the door.

Whitey showed up just before the bell rang, sitting at his desk and accepting my attendance roster. At this point we all knew the class was pretty laid back so I just took a seat in the empty desk next to Nathan and waited for instruction.

"Since today is the last day of school before your holiday, and I know a lot of you have impending plans… I'm going to let you have the day off. No school work. Relax. Talk amongst yourselves. I have basketball things to deal with so just don't get too loud."

Most of the people in the class took to doing whatever they felt like doing, which was reading or writing or talking… whatever floated their boat. Nathan and I noticed Whitey looked a little stressed so we moved our desks closer to his and waited for him to talk to us.

"We have a little problem Savannah." Whitey finally said, looking at us over his reading glasses, "It seems that the Principal, Board of Directors, and the Athletic Association have gotten word that you will, as of our first game next week, be playing basketball on the boys team."

"And they don't like that idea." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. I had a feeling something like that might come up.

"So, in light of that, they have suspended basketball until they can decide if they are going to allow it."

"What?" Nathan and I both shrieked at the same time.

"They can't do that can they?" Nathan added, "You read the rules. She's eligible."

"Technically she is, but certain people, and I think we both know who we're talking about here, are trying to find a loophole." Whitey gave Nathan an understanding nod and even though I was lost, Nathan seemed to understand.

"Dad." Nathan sighed and then I got it, "He just cannot leave things alone."

In the last months, as Dan Scott had recovered from the burns he had suffered from in the fire at his dealership, he had gone back to what I was assuming was normal for him. From what everyone told me it was normal Dan Scott anyway. He thwarted people's plans at every turn, making sure that only he really got what he wanted and everyone else be damned. He lorded his success over people with shortcomings. He was a menace, in every definition of the word. Luckily, until now, I had only run into him once. Now, I might have to kill him.

"I'll have him offed Coach." I half joked, "The world as we know it, from what I hear, would be better off without him."

"Well, he seems to think that was the intention of whoever set the fire to the dealership, although between us, I know it's been ruled an accident by the police."

Nathan sighed.

"Yeah, he said something about that last time I saw him. He seems to think someone tried to kill him and he's determined to find out who. He says he's going to kill whoever it was or some bullshit like that." Nathan seemed pissed, "This isn't fair. We were ready for that game next week."

"I know." Whitey smiled at us both, "And just between the three of us, as soon as we get all this straightened out Savannah, we'll be making you a starter, but not at point guard. I'll leave that part to your imagination but, I think you've earned a starting position."

"Really?" I had to resist the urge to jump on the desk and do a happy dance, "Thank you so much. That is awesome!"

There was then the unfortunate reality that Dan Scott may see to it that I was never able to claim my starting position. My mood fell after that.

"Hey." Nathan put his arm around me and pulled me as close as I could get to him without falling out of my chair, "It's gonna be fine. I will make sure that you get to play ok?"

"Thanks Nate."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, Whitey looking down at the paperwork in front of him and Nathan and I just sitting with my head on his shoulder and his head on my head.

"I can't wait to get to New York." I sighed and that seemed to perk Nathan up a bit.

"I can't believe you got us courtside for the Knicks. I don't even like the Knicks but I am super excited."

"I know. Of course, Brooke and Cammie are super excited I'm not making them go with us, but it's going to be so much fun this weekend. Friday night Knicks. Saturday night Victoria's Secret. Days sightseeing. Oh, I love vacations."

"Spare me the details. I don't think you invited me so while you two are off exploring New York City, I'll be here in little Tree Hill making sure you get to play basketball when you come back." Whitey interjected, although we both knew he was just kidding in his reprimand.

"Sorry Coach, if you need us, let us know. Otherwise, we'll just scoot our desks back and um… talk back here." I laughed.

"Thank you."

When Nathan and I were back in our original positions we went back to talking about New York and the things we wanted to see and do. I was extremely excited about the fact that I was going on vacation but I was more excited that my friends were going with me. I was extra excited that Peyton would get to see Xander and we could celebrate her birthday in style. She didn't know it yet but Xander was actually going to be in the plane when we got on it later. He made me promise not to tell, so that he could surprise her with his early arrival and so that in case it didn't happen she wasn't disappointed.

"So what's the official plan for Peyton's birthday celebration? What are we doing?"

"Tomorrow during the day is Xander and Peyton time because they have some catching up to do if you know what I mean, but tomorrow night we are going to the Hard Rock Café. Should be fun although, and I kept meaning to ask you this, what are your feelings these days towards Chris Keller?"

"Why?" Nathan looked at me skeptically.

"He has a concert like really nearby that night and from what I've been reading on the internet, he tends to stop into the Hard Rock on almost a nightly basis, so I just was hoping that if he saw us and like said hi or something you weren't going to freak."

Nathan contemplated it for a moment and I could swear I saw flashes of an imagined bar brawl in Nathan's eyes, but he shook the imagery away. He looked at me and shrugged.

"Haley won't be there so no big deal."

"Good." I sighed as I looked up at the clock, "This day is never going to end."

"Savannah Carter to the principal's office. Savannah Carter, to the principal's office please." The PA announcement semi-startled me and Nathan looked at me with a interested look.

"Well, at least it's something else to do." I grabbed my bag and stood, "Whitey, have a good break and I will see you when I get back from New York."

Whitey nodded in my direction, smiling quickly so that no one could see him but me.

Out in the empty hallway I sighed. I couldn't help but wonder why the principal was calling me to his office. I didn't do anything wrong today, but maybe it was about the basketball situation.

It took me a few minutes to get there, only because I walked the long way around, and when I did arrive I was almost positive this was about the basketball situation. Dan Scott was sitting in a chair, waiting patiently.

"Um, my name was called on the PA to come see the principal." I checked in with the receptionist.

"Yes, have a seat Ms. Carter. The principal will see you in a minute."

Unfortunately for me, the only open seat in the room happened to be directly next to Dan Scott, so I had no choice. I stood.

"What? Too scared to sit next to me Ms. Carter?" Dan teased me.

"No. Not scared. Just worried that if I sit next to you I might get a rash."

The other people in the office snickered a little and Dan almost seemed impressed. I wasn't trying to impress him. He gave me the creeps.

"Well, I promise no rashes. Come on. Sit with me." He patted the seat next to him and I glared at him and the chair which seemed to be mocking me, "After all, we're going into the same meeting."

Yep. This was definitely about basketball. Nonetheless, I sucked up my sense of doom and sat next to Dan Scott. He smiled at me and I shivered. He was so creepy.

"Good job, by the way. Trying to steal the spotlight away from my sons, but you should learn now little girl. I always make sure that my boys get the best. Good thing I discovered Whitey's plan now and not next week huh?"

"You are so pitiful and there are so many things wrong with your little statement. I wonder sometimes if you realize how full of shit you are." I couldn't hold back my tongue today, "First, I am in no way trying to steal Lucas and Nathan's spotlight. Nathan wanted me to join the team and second, I'm pretty sure that until sometime last year, you told everyone you only had one son. So when exactly does the Father of the Year role come into play? You make sure your sons get the best? God you're a loser. I make sure your sons get the best. That would be why I'm the one paying for them to go on vacation for the holiday. I'm the one they come to when they have problems, or want to talk, or want to practice basketball. They're not coming to your loser ass. They don't want you. Get it through your head you washed up asshole, you are a could have been, and you will never be able to ride your sons' coattails again because they see through you."

The entire office had stopped what they were doing and everything had gone quiet. I looked around the room after my tirade and everyone was staring at me, as if the world had just ended. I didn't care if Dan Scott thought he controlled the world. I'm pretty sure everyone in the room knew that he deserved all the things I just said to him.

"While that diatribe was all very interesting Ms. Carter, you and Mr. Scott can come into my office now."

Principal Turner was standing to our left and I groaned. I guess I didn't mean for him to hear me go off on Dan Scott.

"Good to see you Principal Turner." Dan approached and shook his hand, sending a victorious grin my way, "Thank you for seeing me today."

"No problem Mr. Scott. Ms. Carter? Are you coming?"

"Yes, sorry." I stood and followed them both into the Principal's office and Principal Turner shut the door behind us.

"Ms. Carter, it has recently been brought to my attention that Coach Durham intends to start you on the Boys' basketball team next week and you've been practicing with them for a couple months now."

"Three months sir. Since the beginning of the year, when he asked me to join the team."

"Are you aware Ms. Carter that every player who is going to practice or play basketball in this school needs to have their parents submit eligibility forms first?"

"Um, no." I sighed, "Is that what this is about? I didn't know but I can get them and have them to you on Monday."

"No, that's not what this is about although that is a good idea. Please do have them to me by Monday." He handed me a packet of paperwork, "No, today is entirely different. Refresh my memory, but when your transcripts came in, there was a specific section where you were kicked out of your last school for possession of marijuana and banned from playing basketball, correct?"

"Yes sir, 3-A basketball. Your team is a 4-A team so I'm able to play in this league." I responded.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. It's not that part that bothers me. The marijuana charges… those are bothersome."

"It wasn't mine." I gritted my teeth as I suddenly became angry that I was going to need to defend that again.

"Oh yes, we've all used that one." Dan laughed and Principal Turner smiled at him.

"Savannah," Principal Turner stopped calling me Ms. Carter which sort of scared me, "here's the deal. Since you have A, not turned in your eligibility forms on time and have therefore been practicing with the team illegally for the past three months and B, have drug charges in your history… before I can let you play, we're going to need your cooperation with a few things. First, you'll bring those papers back to me signed by your parents by Monday before school starts. If the first bell rings and they are not in my hands, you're off the team. Secondly, you are going to submit to drug tests, every day for the next week, and if one comes back showing drugs of any kind or you miss taking it, you are off the team."

"Starting Monday right? Since we get out for holiday today, the drug tests start Monday?"

"No Ms. Carter, the drug tests start now." Principal Turner stared straight into my eyes, "Is that a problem?"

Dan Scott was sitting next to me, smiling triumphantly. He knew he won, either way. If I stayed to take the daily drug tests, my friends went to New York without me or not at all and if I refused the drug tests, I was off the team.

"Principal Turner, it's just that, my friends and I leave right after school to go to New York City for four days and… I have no problem doing the drug tests but I can't do them while I'm in New York."

"Then it looks like you have a choice to make, don't you? Mr. Scott, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, has a basketball contract you will need to sign, and also have your parents sign, showing that you have agreed to these terms of eligibility."

Dan pulled out a contract and set it on the desk in front of me.

I was overwhelmed. This could not possibly be right. I now had to choose my friends and our trip or basketball.

"Can I have until the end of school to make a decision?" I asked quietly, trying not to let how devastated I was show on my face.

"Yes ma'am." Principal Turner handed the contract to me so that I could add it to the folder of papers in my hand, "You have until 3:00 pm."

"Ok. Can I go then?"

"You can go."

When I left the Principal's office, class was still in session and as I didn't have anywhere else to be, I headed back to Whitey's class. The folder in my hand felt heavier than an anvil and more than once I found myself staring at it blankly.

"Hey, you're back. What happened?" Nathan asked as soon as I sat down next to him again, "Savannah, you ok? You don't look too good."

"Well…" Where did I start?, "Your dad and Principal Turner have officially fucked us."

"What?" Nathan looked shocked and even Whitey came around his desk to stand with us as we talked, "Principal Turner says I am not eligible because my forms were never turned in. I didn't know I needed forms so… that's not the big issue. I can get my dad to sign those and bring them back. No, here's the big issue."

As soon as I told Nathan and Whitey what Dan and the Principal had told me, Nathan grabbed the nearest heavy textbook he saw and threw it across the room, effectively scaring the rest of the kids in the classroom silent. I had never seen his temper that violently and even I flinched.

"Nathan…" Whitey warned him.

"Sorry Coach." Nathan sighed, "Sorry if I scared you."

He put his arm around me and let me rest my head on his shoulder for the second time that day.

"We can work it out though right? I mean, we don't have to go to New York. We can reschedule the trip." Nathan suggested, "It's more important that you're able to play with the team."

"I don't know Nate. I really wanted you guys to go on this trip and I really need the break. This just sucks. I don't know what I can do about it though… maybe I can get my dad to make a donation or something."

"Danny's got the whole Board of Directors in his pocket. No donation would be large enough." Whitey said, "No, we're gonna have to pull through this the legal way Savannah, but it's your decision."

The class bell rang before we could continue the conversation. Nathan and I gathered our stuff and headed out of class, saying bye to Whitey and then heading to our next class, which we once again had together. All of us were in the next class together actually. It was the one period a day that all of us were together for.

Everyone showed up and we all took our seats near each other before the bell rang so Nathan and I had a chance to fill the rest of them in on what was going on. Immediately the mood went from excitement to disappointment, just like mine had.

"That's not right. I can't believe they can legally do that. It's a school holiday. You can't be expected to submit to drug testing during a holiday." Brooke argued, "We should all go gang up on Principal Turner and protest. It's not fair!"

"I'll figure it out guys. Don't count out the trip yet ok?" I assured them although I myself wasn't so sure, "After this we have lunch and I'll call Xander, see if he has any ideas."

When our class was over we all headed out to the quad to sit at lunch together. While everyone else started talking amongst themselves, I called Xander and luckily, he answered fairly quickly.

"Hey big brother, I have some bad news."

"Really? What happened?" Xander replied nonchalantly.

"Well, to make a long story short, the Principal and the Board of Directors have decided that I have to take drug tests every single day, starting today, for the next week, despite it being a school holiday, or else I can't be on the basketball team."

"Ok, so do it. What's the bad news?"

"Xander, that means we can't go to New York. If I have to be here for the tests, I can't be in New York too."

"Sure you can. We have a private plane. Fly home, take the test, fly back. It's gonna take a few hours out of your day every day but if it's what you have to do, I would do it."

"Oh my God, Xander you're a genius."

All chatter around me halted and they all started asking me what Xander has said.

"I have to go so I can tell everyone what you came up with. Where are you right now?"

"Your house. Does Peyton have any idea that I'm here already?"

"No." I laughed, "Love you. See you in New York."

I hung up the phone and turned to my friends who were waiting anxiously for Xander's genius plan to be relayed.

"I can't believe none of us thought about this first but, hello, Xander has a private plane. He said I should just fly home once a day to take the test and fly back. It will mean I have a few less hours a day to do everything than you guys do, but we at least get to still go."

Everyone except for Haley rejoiced. She looked really disappointed and it occurred to me that maybe she wasn't just being a bitch. Maybe she really was going to miss Nathan.

"You can still go Haley. You sure you don't want to join us?" I offered.

She shook her head no but said nothing.

I couldn't really do much else other than offering the trip to her. It wouldn't be fair to Nathan to ask him to stay.

"Alright, well I have to go tell Principal Turner that I will be taking those tests. I'll be back in a few."

I practically ran to the principal's office, smiling and laughing to myself the whole way. As soon as the secretary cleared me to go in and see him I burst into his office and sat down, which I think surprised him.

"I will be here to take the tests. Do I need paperwork or any specific time you want me to do it?"

"Yes." Principal Turner was regarding me cautiously, "You will report to this lab every morning, 8 am. Bring that paper with you."

Now in my hand were directions to the testing lab with my school identification number so that they could process me.

"Alright. Is that all then?" I knew I was grinning from ear to ear but I couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to go to New York Ms. Carter, but I think you're making the right decision. Despite the way I may have come across earlier, I am interested to see you play basketball with the team."

"Well, I am going to New York, but don't you worry. I will make sure I take these tests and you will get to see me play basketball next week."

Principal Turner looked confused but I didn't give him the chance to ask how I planned to be in both places. I sprinted from his office just as fast as I had come and returned to the table where my friends were sitting.

There was nothing else anyone could throw at me. Two more classes and we were out of here. Dan Scott be damned.


	20. Chapter 18: New York City, Part 1

_**Author's Note: Alright, so I'm back. Sorry about the wait between updates. I hope you like this chapter. To me, it feels a little like filler but it is building up for things to come, and I have a lot planned. Again, feedback is awesome, thanks to those of you who left reviews on the last chapter. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and maybe if I get a few reviews I'll post the next chapter today too. :)  
**_

**Chapter Eighteen**

**New York City, Part 1**

**Nathan POV**

School was finally out. The day had drug on endlessly as if we were never going to get out of there. I almost thought we weren't going to make it, what with the Savannah drug test thing, and all, but here I was, throwing my bags into Savannah's car and getting ready to head to the airport.

"So, you'll call me when you get there right?" Haley asked, waiting nearby as I loaded up my bags.

"I will call you when I get there." I assured her, closing the trunk and then motioning to Savannah I would only take a second.

I headed over to Haley and pulled her into my arms, making her smile despite how much she clearly didn't want to.

"I'm gonna miss you." I told her, "I wish you were going with us."

"I wish you were staying." She sighed.

Both of us were kind of stubborn. It was a well known fact and although a few times I had almost changed my mind, and stayed home with my wife, I knew this vacation wasn't going to come around too often. I needed to get away for a bit.

"I will be back in a few days. I love you so much." I hugged her tight to my chest and she hugged me back. I was hoping she wouldn't cry because then I might have to stay despite my determination.

"Be good." She had tears welling up but she seemed resolved against letting them fall, "I love you too."

I could hear Savannah, Camille, and Tim chattering excitedly a few feet away and knew it was probably about time to go. With one last squeeze I let Haley go and she smiled, backing away slowly towards my car, which she would be driving in my absence.

"Have fun!" She called after me.

"You too. Tell the family I said hi!"

She laughed which made me feel a little bit better about leaving her. With a quick wave she got in the car and started it, pulling out of the school parking lot before I could even get into Savannah's car.

"You ok?" Savannah asked me as Tim and Camille were sliding into the back seat.

I nodded and took a deep breath. I hadn't realized how hard it actually was being apart from Haley. It was different when she left to go on tour and it was even more different when I was going to High Flyers. This time was the first time where I chose to do something knowing she didn't really want me to do it and knowing it meant leaving her behind, even for a short period of time.

"Alright. Get in the car. We have to stop at my house really fast because I forgot one bag."

"You already have like 3. How did you forget anything?" Camille scoffed.

"Cammie, hello. Have you met me?" Savannah retorted, "It's just one bag. It won't take long."

I turned around to see Camille shrug and then go back to giggling with Tim.

"I am so excited." Savannah squealed as she drove, "Nate? You excited?"

My thoughts were on Haley and leaving her behind, wondering if this was the right thing to do or not. The excitement was giving way to anxiety.

"Yeah." I pushed the anxiety away, "We're gonna have a great time."

"Duh. I planned the trip." Savannah laughed.

Less than an hour later we were driving onto the airstrip where Xander kept his plane. It was near the regular airport but a little more hidden. Lucas, Peyton and Brooke were already there, unloading their bags onto the sidewalk and waiting for Savannah who would give them their next instructions.

"Alright." Savannah parked the car, stepped out and popped the trunk all in one swift motion before I knew anything had happened, "Peyton, you know which plane it is right?"

There were two on the nearby airstrip but it looked like only one was currently preparing to take off. I assumed it was that one which amazed me. Here I was, expecting a small private plane. This was actually a commercial sized jet and I couldn't imagine what it would be like inside.

"Yeah." Peyton called back.

"Alright, there is a guy standing there who will load all of our bags so if you just show him what to load he'll do that. Lucas, we need to take the cars into that hanger over there, because that's where they are going to be stored while we are gone. That means, you three…"

Savannah pointed to Camille, Tim, and me.

"You three need to get the stuff out of this car."

It only took a few minutes for everything to be executed and when the plane was in position, the steps were lowered and standing in the doorway was Xander, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh my God!" Peyton immediately screamed and dropped the carry on bag she had in her hand, sprinting towards Xander.

He met her at the bottom of the stairs and she jumped onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and immediately the two of them were making out.

"Well, the trip is already eventful huh?" I joked with Savannah.

"Come on. Let's get on the plane." She pulled the rest of us towards the steps, pushing Xander and Peyton out of the way so we could board.

The inside of the plane was amazing. When you first walked in you were facing a silver wall which split the big cabin into two smaller rooms. The room on our left looked like a living room with two couches and two recliners facing the wall, which after a little investigation I found housed a giant TV screen. On the other side of the wall was a dining room, complete with full sized dining table and chairs.

"There's more to see. Anyone want a tour?" Savannah offered.

Everyone was interested, minus Peyton and Xander who were finally boarding but still couldn't keep their hands off each other for more than a second.

"Alright follow me."

Savannah showed us the bedroom and it's adjoining closet, which I noticed had a staircase.

"There's a second floor?" Brooke asked before I had a chance.

Savannah nodded, grinning and heading upstairs. Above us we found was the kitchen area, where we were able to meet the chef who offered to cook us anything we wanted. I think we would have all ordered had Savannah not assured us there was a meal planned if we held out for a little bit. She showed us the bar area, which looked large enough to serve an entire bar, let alone just the 8 of us and then the second bedroom.

"There's still more but it's mostly crew quarters. Areas for them to chill and stuff." Savannah grinned, "Shall we go back downstairs?"

Back downstairs we were all so amazed at the immensity of the plane we just talked about it and everyone was involved in a conversation as we were then informed by the pilot we would soon be taking off.

"Anyone afraid of flying?" Savannah asked from her seat next to me in the second recliner.

"I used to be and then I stepped into this plane." Brooke laughed, "God this place is amazing. It's like a mansion that flies."

"That's kind of the point." Xander replied.

The flight was only an hour and a half long. Before we knew it we had touched down in New York City and our luggage was being unloaded into the limo that was waiting for us on the runway.

"This is so awesome!" Brooke slipped into the limo happily, "Savannah, I love you."

"I love you too." Savannah hugged Brooke and when we all settled into the limo, Xander called directions to the driver and then the window was raised and we were all alone.

"Ok, so now that we are here…" Savannah opened up her carry on bag and started pulling out packages that looked like gifts, "One of these for each of you. Open them now."

We hadn't expected presents but we followed her directions and opened them. Inside each of the girls' boxes was a purse. I think I heard Brooke scream something about Chloe which I wasn't sure what that had to do with a purse. Inside each of the guys boxes was a leather wallet and a cell phone, although it was a very fancy cell phone.

"Alright, so if you would calm down a minute…" Savannah was laughing at Brooke, Peyton, and Camille still freaking out, "I'll tell you why I got these for you."

The three girls calmed down and began to breath normally again.

"If you open up your bags you are going to find matching wallets and cell phones, just like what the guys got. Inside everyone's wallets is a Visa debit card, preloaded with 5,000. That is your spending money for the time that we are in New York. Now obviously, if you need more, I can get it for you, and most of the time we'll be together and I'll be paying anyway but I just figured, for the times when we're not all together, you guys each have your own spending money. The cell phones are just for this trip. I love you guys, but unfortunately those I do have to have back when this is over. Each one has our schedule for the trip pre-loaded into it and the speed-dial is already set with each of our numbers. I am of course everyone's 1."

We were all speechless. No one had even thrown that much money at us, just for fun, ever. Not me anyway and from the looks on everyone else's faces, I assumed not them either. The cell phones were really nice too. They were Blackberry's, which I had heard of but never actually seen in person.

"Thank you so much." I was sitting close enough to her that I could reach over and hug Savannah.

It wasn't long before we had arrived at our hotel. Xander got us checked into the room and we were guided up to the suite by one of the hotel concierge. He let us in and then explained that if we needed anything he would be our personal concierge for the entire time we were there and we could contact him anytime there was anything we needed. Xander tipped him and then closed the door behind us.

As soon as the door was closed we went crazy, trying to find where we each wanted to sleep and looking at everything in the suite. Once again, instead of something normal, it felt like a mini-mansion. There were enough bedrooms for all of us with several common rooms, a full kitchen, dining room, and "entertainment" room complete with TV, game systems, and movie hookups.

"Well, if we were planning on staying in the room all weekend this would all come in handy wouldn't it?" Brooke laughed as she ran around crazily, "I love this place already."

"Alright!" Savannah announced to everyone, "If you notice on your itinerary, we do have dinner plans for tonight. The reservations are at 8, so that should give us all enough time to shower and change. We are going to be picked up at exactly 7:30. You don't have to dress fancy, just make sure you look nice. Alright, get to it."

Everyone headed to their rooms to get ready and I knew this was probably the only chance I would get tonight to call Haley and let her know we made it safely. Before I opened my suitcase, I sat on the bed and used the new cell phone to call her.

"Hello?" Haley was laughing loudly when she answered.

"Hey you." I could hear her trying to quiet her family in the background but she was still laughing just as hard as they were.

"Nathan? What number are you calling me from?"

"It's a cell phone that Savannah got me. Well, she got one for all of us. It's just for the time we're here. Then we have to give it back. I just thought, well I promised to call you when we made it here?"

"That you did." I could hear her smiling, "How is everything? Are you having fun?"

I told her about the extravagant plane, the things that Savannah had given us as presents, and the hotel. She gasped when she heard about the spending money, of course, and couldn't believe how big the plane was. Overall though, she sounded happy. I liked that she sounded happy.

"So are you having fun with your family? Tell them I said hi."

"Nathan says hi!" Haley called out and I heard a chorus of greetings back, "It's just mom, dad, Vivian and Quinn with the kids right now. We're still waiting for the boys and Taylor to get here. Taylor of course is late. When isn't she late?"

"I'm glad you're having fun Hales." I wanted to say more but it was that exact moment that my bedroom door swung open and Brooke stood there in a "tada!" moment.

"Nate, Luke is completely biased. I need to know that I look nice but not like a slut. What do you think?" She twirled in front of me in her knee-length bright red strapless dress.

"You look great Brooke."

"Is that Haley on the phone? Hi tutor girl!" Brooke yelled and then ran away again, shutting the doors behind her.

"Tell everyone I say hi." Haley laughed.

"I will. I better go Hales. We're supposed to be getting ready so we can go out to dinner."

"Alright." She sighed, "Nathan, I just want you to know that I'm glad you went. You do deserve to have some fun and I'm sorry I was being so horrible about it."

"Hey, you weren't being horrible. No, I understand. I almost didn't go. I felt bad leaving you."

"We're fine here." Again I could hear her smile through the phone, "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you again when I get a chance."

"Alright, be good."

"I always am."

She giggled and then hung up, leaving me feeling a little bit better about leaving her at home when I was coming on this amazing trip. I looked at the clock and noticed it already said 7:00, so I knew I needed to hurry to get ready.

After a quick shower, I was dressed and ready to go. Hopefully my white sweater and black pants were dressy enough. I wasn't used to this kind of outing but I knew that if I wasn't dressed up enough, Savannah would tell me.

"You clean up nicely." She grinned at me when I came out of my room and found her coming out of hers, which ended up being right next to mine.

"So do you." I took her in. She was wearing a very short white dress that had blue things sewn onto it. It was low cut and definitely clung to her curves. Although I wasn't trying to check her out, my body definitely took notice.

"Thanks." She grinned and offered her arm so we could head into the other room together, "Come on you. Escort me to dinner please."

At exactly 7:30 the hotel concierge called the room to let us know that our car was waiting downstairs. The girls quickly gathered their purses and then we all headed downstairs together to find a black Hummer limo waiting for us outside.

"Hell yes." Tim was the first one in and we all laughed at him.

We got comfortable inside the limo, sort of in pairs, although Savannah and I were the only pair that wasn't an actual couple..

"Kind of weird huh? Everyone else is a couple and yet here we are, outsiders stuck together. The only ones without a significant other along for the ride." Savannah smiled at me, commenting on the situation as if she could read my mind.

"Kind of." I agreed, "Although, you are my best friend so, it's not really weird. We do stuff together all the time that has nothing to do with being a couple."

"Very true." She leaned her head on my shoulder as we rode along in the limo towards wherever it was we were going.

The rest of the group chattered loudly about everything ranging from school, to being in New York for the holiday, to shopping, to basketball… just everything. Savannah and I just sat back and watched them, sort of observing everyone around us. We did that a lot it seemed like, when it was just the two of us and everyone else was engrossed in their world. We observed.

The limo pulled up to an inconspicuous building on a very busy street. The driver opened the door and we all piled out. The single street facing window read MESA at the bottom which meant we had arrived at…

"The Mesa Grill?" Camille almost started jumping up and down right there in front of the building, "I love this place. Savannah, you're a genius."

"Thank you. I thought so." Savannah took my arm and pulled me towards the entrance, "Follow me everyone."

Everyone else followed Savannah into the busy restaurant. Although on the outside it was inconspicuous, the inside was huge, loud, and insanely crowded. Waiters bustled to serve all their tables in a timely manner and the chatter from all the tables sounded more like a sold out basketball stadium then the inside of a restaurant. It was overwhelming, exciting, and exhilarating, all at the same time.

"Hi, we have a reservation. Savannah Carter."

The hostess quickly scanned her list and smiled.

"Yes Ms. Carter, thank you for choosing Mesa Grill." she handed the waiter to her left a handful of menus and whispered directions to him, "Brandon will be your waiter. He's going to take you to your table. Enjoy."

We all followed the waiter Brandon to our table which ended up being upstairs, on a patio that overlooked the rest of the restaurant. Less people were upstairs and it was slightly less noisy, although we could still hear most of the chatter from the lower level. We took our seats and the waiter promised to be back shortly with water for us all.

"This place is so awesome. Have any of you ever been here?" Camille asked the rest of us. Xander and Savannah had been here, but the rest of us had no clue.

"If you like southwestern food at all, this place is amazing. It's Bobby Flay's restaurant."

"Oh, I like Bobby Flay. I watch him on the cooking channel." Brooke spoke up.

We all looked at her almost like an alien and she laughed.

"What? Just because I can't cook doesn't mean I can't watch cooking shows."

"Ditto." Savannah seconded, "I will raise my… fork, to burnt pizza, undercooked brownies, and plenty of charcoal chicken."

Brooke raised her fork back, smiling that they had improvised in the absence of glasses.

When the waiter returned we had already forged ahead into a conversation about the times that we had all been victim to bad food and none of us had even glanced at our menus. We quickly figured out our drink orders, to at least keep him busy for a minute, and then went back to our conversation.

When Brandon returned again and we still didn't know what we were ordering, we all decided it was time to actually look at the menus and figure out what we wanted to eat. Luckily the actual act of deciding didn't take long at all and soon enough we had ordered and could go back to chatting happily about all the things that were planned for the rest of the trip.

"So tomorrow is Peyton's birthday!" Savannah announced and Peyton sort of blushed but laughed, "We don't get to spend the day with her because Xander is stealing her but tomorrow night, we are going to party it up at the Hard Rock Café. I can't believe you turn 18 before me you skank, but I love you anyway."

"Since we have our drinks now," Peyton picked up her glass and smiled, "I would like to make a toast. To my incredible fiancé, who has dealt with a lot of shit over the past few months and still wants to be with me."

Peyton paused long enough to kiss Xander softly.

"And also to my soon-to-be sister-in-law Savannah who planned this vacation for us, knowing that we all, especially me, needed to get away from our everyday lives. You always know just what to say or do to make me feel better when I need a pick me up, and I'm almost positive you do the same for the rest of these guys."

"Yes she does." I seconded.

"Anyway, I'll quit rambling but I'm just really grateful that you got kicked out of school in California and moved to Tree Hill cause our lives would be very different, in a bad way, without you."

Savannah looked like she was almost going to cry. She was sitting right next to me so I grabbed her hand to comfort her.

"Thanks." She smiled at Peyton and then at everyone else around the table, "I love you guys, like more than I love most of my family members, other than Xander of course. I've never bonded with people as much as I bonded with you guys when I met you. Camille and I were sort of forced to love each other. Our moms would have it no other way, right Cami?"

"Basically." Camille agreed.

"It's just lucky that we also clicked really well and I just figured that I would never find that kind of camaraderie with anyone else, and then I moved to Tree Hill and I got you guys. It's just amazing and it really shows that everything happens for a reason, because if anyone had asked me when I got kicked out of BHP, I would have said that was the worst thing that could have happened to me. Instead it turned out to be the best, so yeah… Peyton, you think you're the lucky one but really it's me because I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

Everyone raised their glasses to the two speeches and then took a drink. Savannah wiped her eyes and then started laughing loudly.

"If I cry, I am beating you to death Peyton, that was so wrong!"

We all laughed and soon the food arrived, leaving us to eat instead of talk.

When the meal was over we all went outside and waited for the limo to pick us up. It wasn't long and then we were inside and on our way back to the hotel.

"I have an early morning because I have to fly back to Tree Hill to take my daily drug test, and when I get back, you all minus Peyton and Xander need to be ready do get out of the hotel. It's a free day so we can really do whatever you all want to do, but we are starting early because there is no reason to waste a perfectly good day in New York."

"Don't ask me where we're going Peyton. I'm not telling you. It's a surprise." Xander said before Peyton even asked, but it definitely looked like she was going to ask.

"I know exactly where I want to go, but I can't say just yet." Brooke grinned mischievously, "Will everyone agree without knowing where or what it is to just go first thing tomorrow?"

"Yes." Savannah nodded, "I'm up for anything."

"Ok." I nodded too, "Please don't torture me Brooke."

"You know I'm in." Lucas sighed, "I have to be. You wouldn't let me not go even if I said no."

"That's true." Brooke kissed his cheek and grinned.

"I hope it's dirty." Tim looked like he was already imagining what it could be and Camille smacked him.

"Yeah, we're in." She answered for both herself and Tim.

We arrived at the hotel and headed up to the suite. Savannah stopped at the concierge desk, setting a wake up call for her room. I still couldn't believe that she was going to have to fly back to Tree Hill every morning, just for some stupid drug test that she shouldn't have had to take in the first place.

"Alright, everyone get some sleep. We all have a big day tomorrow." Savannah went into her room after saying a quick goodnight to all of us, closing the door behind her. Everyone else split up into their rooms, either to sleep or do other things. I thought about calling Haley again but then stopped. It was late and she was probably sleeping. So even though I didn't feel that tired, excitement over being here still coursing through me, I decided to go to bed, readying myself for the next day's activities.


	21. Chapter 19: New York City, Part 2

_**There is mature sexual content in this chapter. If you do not feel comfortable reading that, you can skip it or choose not to read the chapter. I would recommend just skipping those paragraphs because the rest of the chapter is semi-relevant to the coming chapters. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Nineteen**

**New York City, Part 2**

**Xander POV**

Sleeping last night had been difficult, not just because Peyton and I were occupied doing things other than sleeping, but because I had adjusted to Spain time which meant I was 8 hours ahead of New York time. At midnight, I would have been waking up in Spain. I managed to get a few hours, but I was awake again now, at 8 am, staring at Peyton as she slept peacefully, her blond curls spread across the white pillow.

She inspired me to draw, something I hadn't done in awhile, as things had been so chaotic lately, not only in Spain, but the drama with Peyton's dad. It still bothered me. I wanted him to accept me, knowing what it meant to Peyton. It seemed that there was nothing I could do to make him see that we both wanted the same thing, Peyton's happiness.

I still kept a sketch book with me so I crept out of bed, careful not to wake her, and found my luggage. When I crawled back in the bed, she stirred slightly but still remained in the same peaceful position, sleeping, her blonde curls surrounding her like a halo. She was my angel, which was exactly what I would draw her as.

We had plans for the day, but knowing that she would want to sleep, I made sure the first part of our day was time flexible. In fact, the only two things that were scheduled to be time specific were dinner tonight with the rest of the gang and a special surprise I had set up for Peyton, which had to take place at exactly 4 pm.

On my paper, Peyton's curves, which I had come to learn so intimately, stretched across the page outlined by the sheet which seemed to wrap around her like silk. I liked to sketch usually in charcoal, but Peyton needed to be sketched in more detail. Charcoal smears. Today we would simply use pencil.

I fell into a groove with sketching her, and found 30 minutes later, when she finally stirred, I almost had a complete drawing.

"Morning." She smiled over at me, sitting and staring at the page in front of me.

"Good morning beautiful. Happy Birthday."

She grinned and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes, almost bashfully.

"What are you doing? Have you been awake for awhile?"

"I haven't been awake that long. I wanted to capture how beautiful you are." I handed her the book and she looked at the sketch, the smile on her face growing.

"I forget sometimes what an amazing artist you are because I never get to see you draw." She held the book close to her heart as if she was treasuring it, "Someday, you think you'll be able to take time to draw and not have to be so caught up in the dealings in Spain."

"Hopefully." I nodded, "The plan is to train Orlando so that in a few years I can give the main run of things to him. I don't want to do what I'm doing forever."

"I always stop myself when I remember to ask, but what exactly is it that you do huh? You ever planning on telling me about the day to day life of a crime boss?"

"No." I leaned over and kissed her, taking my sketch book back, "Especially not on your birthday."

Her phone rang before she could respond and she turned over to grab it from the nightstand. She sighed, but answered.

"Hi daddy."

This was one of the parts of the day that I had no control over. I had decided that it would be best if he called her in the morning, so that the rest of the day could make up for it if he disappointed her. I watched her nod and listen to what he had to say. Every time I thought about him my jaw still twitched and I could feel the exact spot where he had punched me. My pride hurt more than my jaw, but to soothe my pride would have meant to beat the hell out of my future father-in-law, which would have probably ended my marriage before it even began.

"I know daddy." Peyton sort of smiled, which for me was definitely good, "I know. I just wish…"

I decided to let them have their conversation in private so I got out of bed and went back to my suitcase, pulling it into the bathroom with me so that I could pick out my clothes for the day and then jump into the shower.

I had only been in the shower for a few minutes when Peyton came into the bathroom. Instinctively I knew she was there even before she spoke.

"So what's the plan for today? Or am I not allowed to know until we get there?"

"Well, there are several places, so you'll know as we get to each one." I peaked out of the shower and saw her pull her shirt over her head, shaking her hair out again once the shirt was off, "You planning on joining me in here?"

She turned to look at me and nodded, a mischievous grin playing on her face as she slipped her panties down her body as well, letting them join her shirt on the floor. She walked over to me and I backed up a little against the water flow as she stepped into the shower with me.

"This is how everyday should start." She sighed, taking a step towards me and wrapping her arms around my waist, pressing her face against my chest and letting the water run down over both of us.

"Soon baby." I kissed the top of her now wet head, and just held her for a few moments. Then my curiosity took over, "What'd your dad say?"

"That's what you want to ask me when we're naked in the shower?" She cocked an eyebrow at me but laughed, "I guess he finally gets it. He said that he loves me and wanted to wish me Happy Birthday. He told me the story he tells me every year on my birthday, about how the first time he saw me he knew that his life was complete, and that no matter what happened, he would always be my dad. Then he asked if I was sure that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life and when I told him yes, he asked if you would be willing to go to dinner with us when we get back from New York and he promises he won't punch you this time."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Peyton was grinning from ear to ear, "I knew he would come around. It was just a matter of time."

I crushed her lips against mine. This was the best news she could have possibly given me. Nothing was better.

Within seconds I had Peyton pinned against the tiled shower wall, her leg wrapped around my thigh, pulling me closer to her. The water still hit my back where she was digging her nails into my shoulder blades. I moved my lips from her lips to her neck and she let her head fall back, moaning as she arched her body into mine.

Peyton let one of her hands fall from my back and found her way instead to my dick. I was already hard but the first touch of her soft fingers against my tip caused me to lose my breath for a second. I growled against her shoulder and without thinking thrust into her hand, causing her to clinch a fist around me.

There was no way I was going to last much longer with her fist pumping me closer and closer to orgasm. I pulled away and grabbed her by her shoulders, spinning her around and bending her down in front of me. One of her hands went in front of her, supporting herself against the wall in front of her and one went behind her, grabbing my dick and guiding it inside her.

The first sensation of being enclosed inside her always surprised me, pulsating through my body in waves of pleasure. She and I groaned in unison, my thrusts quickening as I grabbed her waist and pulled her against me. The hand she had used to guide me inside her was rubbing her clit, making her clinch her muscles around me, bringing me even closer to the edge. I could feel her orgasm climbing, knowing that the second she told me she was there, I would be there too, ready to explode inside of her. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long.

"Xander…"

"I know baby."

One more thrust and we came together, her scream and my growl echoing in the bathroom, and possibly beyond.

She stood up and although I slipped from inside her, she kept her thighs together so that I was still sandwiched between her legs. Her back was pressed against my chest and her hand came up, wrapping around the back of my head and bringing my lips down to hers as she turned her neck to meet me.

"I love you." She whispered against my lips.

The water was hitting our faces but it didn't matter.

"I love you too."

An hour later we were dressed and ready to go. Peyton fussed with her black sweater and jeans. I was wearing jeans and gray thermal shirt. I loved being able to dress down. It wasn't a luxury I had in Spain, so I relished it with Peyton.

"Are you sure I look alright?"

"You look great." I grabbed her and kissed her, "You ready?"

"Yes." She sighed, grabbing her phone and purse as I headed for the door.

In the main room of the suite, Brooke, Lucas, and Nathan were watching TV. All three looked ready to go but apparently the rest of the group was not.

"Is Savannah back yet?" I asked them.

"Nope." Brooke jumped off the couch and looked Peyton over, "You look fabulous birthday girl. Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you!"

They hugged and while the guys wished Peyton a happy birthday too, I had a chance to call my sister.

"Hey, where are you?"

"Where I'm supposed to be. Everything is set up for Peyton's surprise. It looks fabulous. She is going to freak." Savannah replied, "I'm leaving right now actually to come back to the hotel. Where are you?"

"We are getting ready to leave the hotel. Did you make it to your drug test?"

"Yeah, of course. I was early actually so I took it quickly and then came back to New York to come here and check on everything. So you are taking her to breakfast first right?"

"Yep. We'll see you tonight."

"Ok, bye Xan."

"Bye."

I hung up with Savannah and pulled Peyton away from Brooke who was still rambling about something that I was sure you had to be a girl to understand.

The car was waiting for us downstairs, so we jumped in and were immediately taken towards our intended breakfast destination. It was actually just going to be a quick stop, and then the driver would be taking us to a different destination where we could actually eat.

"What is this place?" Peyton looked out the window at the unassuming bakery in front of us, "Ess-a-Bagel?"

"I'll be right back."

I jumped out of the car and ran inside to pick up the meal I had pre-ordered. As requested, the entire meal had been carefully placed inside a picnic basket which I paid for and headed back to the car.

"A picnic?" Peyton was beaming, "I don't think I've ever been on a picnic. Thank god you thought of food though. I am starved."

It was a bit of a ride from where we picked up the food to where we were going to eat it, so I took mercy on Peyton and let her eat a bagel in the car. She seemed so delighted to just be eating, I was already certain the day was going to be a success.

In the early morning traffic it took us 30 minutes to arrive at Central Park. When we passed the Metropolitan Museum of Art Peyton squealed, so I knew that our next stop after breakfast was going to go over well.

We pulled up to a small grassy area in the large park and got out, heading out in the cold to spread the blanket out on the grass. In retrospect, an indoor breakfast may have been better, but Peyton didn't seem to mind that it was cold. She helped me spread out our blanket and then happily curled up with me on it, aiding in pulling out the spread of foods.

"This is so awesome. I could spend forever laying here with you."

I held her tight and fed her some of the food which she gladly ate. We stayed there for almost an hour, just enjoying the scenery until it was too cold for us to bear and we had to run back to the car for the heat.

Peyton figured out pretty quickly that our next stop was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She didn't realize until we were inside however, that today was not only her birthday but also a national holiday, which normally meant the museum was closed. A tour guide let us in and it was then that Peyton's jaw dropped.

"Are we the only people here?"

"Yes." I replied, "Today is your birthday so I purchased the day for us, or at least a few hours. We can take the tour or if you would prefer, we could just explore on our own."

The tour guide looked like she wanted to punch me, but I couldn't have a special day for Peyton without this museum. She had told me the first day that we met that this was the one place she had wanted to visit since she was very little.

"I want to take the tour." Peyton was beaming as she looked at the tour guide, "You don't mind do you?"

"No, of course not." The tour guide introduced herself as Stephanie and asked us where we would like to begin, "Would you like to start with Greek and Roman Art or Egyptian Art?"

Peyton contemplated for a second and promptly picked Greek and Roman Art, so we started on our tour. The tour ended up lasting several hours as we went through the entire two floors of the museum and then ended up back at the front hall. I thanked the tour guide for showing us everything and tipped her generously as Peyton and I headed back to the car waiting for us outside.

"What's next?" Peyton was still grinning widely, "This is awesome. The best birthday ever."

"Well next…" I looked at my watch and saw it was now almost 2 pm, "We can either get some lunch, if you're hungry…"

She shook her head no, clearly expressing that she was still full from breakfast.

"Then we have two hours to do whatever you would like to do. The only thing I have planned is at 4, we need to be in Brooklyn. Any ideas?"

"Well… have you ever heard of Bleecker Street Records?"

"No."

"Well, the music geek in me is really interested in going there. They are supposed to have an awesome vinyl collection and so… yeah, I'd like to go."

"Then we go."

We headed off to Bleecker Street Records which was across town and ended up being a small shop that Peyton was absolutely ecstatic to see. I headed inside with her and she immediately started looking around, rummaging through what appeared to be thousands of vinyl records. I imagined we were probably going to be leaving here with a few additions to the collection she already had at home.

She raced around yelling out names of bands that I had no knowledge of. It was funny sometimes how similar Peyton and I were in our love of art, and yet so different in our knowledge of music. She knew enough to fill books. I couldn't have filled the first page of a book.

"You know you can get whatever you want." I told her.

"I want everything." She laughed.

"We'll take everything." I joked with the cashier who was laughing with Peyton.

"No, seriously." Peyton slowed her laughing a bit, "I definitely need to pick a few. Do we have time?"

"Yes."

She poured over all the records and eventually picked out six which were apparently must haves.

"So are you going to play these for me when we get back to Tree Hill?"

"Yeah, just as soon as you and my dad talk things out and he allows you anywhere near my bedroom which is the site of the only record player in Tree Hill."

"Your bedroom cannot house the only record player in Tree Hill." I wasn't convinced.

"Maybe not the only one, but the only one worth my time." She smiled.

The cashier finished ringing us up and we headed back to the car. I looked at my watch and smiled, realizing we had just enough time to get where we needed to go. At this point Savannah would have filled the rest of the group in on the surprise and they would be almost there, assuming they were also on schedule for the day. I was actually still very interested to know what Brooke had taken them to do this morning.

"You are so beautiful." I pulled her next to me in the seat, pushing the button so that our privacy window rose, blocking the driver's view into the back seat, "Are you having a good birthday?"

"Amazing birthday." She ran her hand over my cheek and leaned forward to kiss me softly, "I am so excited to become Mrs. Xander Carter."

"Yeah? I want you to be Mrs. Xander Carter. Are you going to change your name? I keep forgetting to ask."

"Of course. Peyton Carter? I'm stoked."

I laughed at her vocabulary but didn't tease her.

"Now that your dad seems a little more open, you are going to have him walk you down the aisle right?"

"Yes, as long as he agrees." She nodded, "I should probably show you my wedding book. Brooke insisted that I start one and much to my dismay, it's actually been very helpful. Oh, did I tell you she's going to design my wedding dress?"

"No. You trust her?"

"With my life." Peyton assured me, "Plus, you remember the outfit I wore to your grandfather's funeral?"

"Yes. I was dying the whole time. I had to stand there and pretend that I wasn't thinking about ripping you out of that jacket and finding out what was underneath it the whole time. And then I didn't even get the chance because I was so busy all night with family shit…" I was glad that time had passed and I didn't have to go back and deal with my grandfather's death a second time, "Anyway, what does that have to do with Brooke?"

"She designed it." Peyton smiled.

"Well then, I trust her to put in something equally sexy so that at the end of the night I can rip you out of it."

"Going back to the funeral thing really quick, where was Mariah? I kept meaning to ask you and with everything that was going on and then with you proposing, I totally forgot."

"I have no idea. She was supposed to be there and at the last minute didn't show. I talked to her once since then and she assured me that she is fine, just taking some time to find herself. She's in Greece or at least she was when I talked to her last."

"Greece? That's weird." Peyton shrugged, and went back to talking about our wedding, "I need a list of the people you want to invite."

"Um, I would like you to be there… and Savannah, and my dad… and that's about it."

"Xander!" Peyton rolled her eyes, "Seriously, aren't you technically under family obligation to invite other people? Your mother at least?"

"You want me to invite my mom? Because I would rather not."

"No… You know what I mean. There are obligations you have with your family and stuff in Spain. Don't you have to invite them?"

"Well…" I hadn't really thought about it to too much extent actually, "My mom and that side of the family don't really approve of me marrying you in the first place and secondly, there are a whole lot of customs that they would want me to carry on in our wedding that I'm not particularly excited about doing, and also, our wedding would have to be done half in Spanish, so really… I would rather have a small wedding or whatever wedding you want to have with just our close family and friends then if my Spanish family insist, we can do another one with them in Spain."

"Ok." Peyton nodded, "I'm up for anything. I just didn't want you to get in trouble or anything."

"Me? In trouble? Baby, I'm the boss. I don't get in trouble."

She giggled as I planted kisses all over her neck and face playfully.

The driver stopped the car about a block away from our destination and I told Peyton we had arrived. She stepped out and looked around, not seeing anything that popped out at her, she seemed confused.

"We have to walk a little ways. Do you mind?"

"Of course not." Peyton entwined her hand in mine and we walked hand in hand down the street.

We arrived in front of Art 101, a Brooklyn art gallery which showcased young undiscovered talent among others. When we stopped in front of it Peyton smiled, obviously not understanding what we were doing here. It wasn't until we went inside where we found Savannah and Nathan taking in the work on the wall in the front parlor that Peyton began to get excited.

"Hi!"

They turned around and greeted her happily and soon we were surrounded by all of the gang, happy that we had arrived and waiting to get Peyton's reaction to the exhibit around her. It took her a minute before she realized…

"Oh my God, those are my drawings on the wall."

"Yes they are." I pulled her to my side and kissed the top of her head as she stood there, speechless.

"Where… What… You got me an exhibit at a Brooklyn art gallery?"

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

"This is amazing!" She broke away from my side and went to the wall, where one of her drawings was painted onto a canvas taking up almost a full wall, "But, I didn't paint this. I mean, I drew it, but I didn't paint it. I didn't put in on canvas."

"I did." I told her simply, "I um… well, basically if you look, the artist for all of these is actually Peyton Carter, which you will be after a few more months, but for the time being it was the only way I thought to blend our names, so we sounded like one artist."

"This is… so beautiful and so thoughtful. Xander…" She ran to me and hugged me tighter than I had ever been hugged in my life, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome beautiful." I hugged her back, cataloging the moment in my brain so that I would never forget it, "You have to thank Savannah too though. She helped me a lot."

"Well, when do you ever pull off a big surprise without me? Really?" Savannah laughed as Peyton turned to hug her too, "Congratulations Peyton. You are officially a working artist."

"The art opening actually starts in like 45 minutes." Brooke announced, obviously not able to stay quiet for a second longer, "Then people are going to come here and they can actually buy your art Peyton. Isn't that awesome?"

"It really, really is." Peyton was still looking around, amazed at what she saw, "I need to look around before they get here so I know what's here."

We all took the 45 minutes to acquaint Peyton with the art that she had on display. Technically it was our art, as I had been the one to transfer it to canvas, but it was her moment. I wanted to make sure she knew that this was for her.

"I wish her dad was here to see this." I told Savannah as we stood together in a corner, about ten minutes before the opening.

"He will be." Savannah replied casually, "I um, called him, while you guys were out today and when he agreed to come, I sent the plane for him. I thought it might be the thing you guys needed. He might realize that you really do love her. Plus, when someone loves their kid like he loves Peyton, they shouldn't miss the 18th birthday. So he should be here any second actually."

On cue exactly, the door opened and in walked Larry Sawyer, accompanied by Lucas's mom Karen.

Peyton turned and when she saw her dad, her eyes lit up. Officially, the night was complete. This was exactly what I needed to make her birthday perfect, and I had to thank Savannah for making it happen. She always knew what to do.

"Daddy! How did you know?"

"Savannah called. She said that Xander had set up an art opening for you tonight and she thought I should be here, so we jumped on a very, very nice private plane and flew out immediately." Larry hugged Peyton tight, "Happy Birthday Peyt."

"Thank you daddy."

I could hear it in her voice, even without being able to see her face. She was crying. I had to hope it was because she was happy.

"Do not mess up your make-up P. Sawyer." Brooke insisted, "No crying allowed."

Peyton laughed, wiping her eyes and the tears away. Savannah moved to go hug Karen and say hi to Larry, as did the rest of the group. It seemed I was the last person to say hi, not because I was afraid, but because I still wasn't sure of the ground on which Larry and I stood.

"Thank you." He said to me simply, shaking my hand, "You make her happier than I've seen her in a long time. I should have seen that sooner."

"I love her. I would do anything to make her happy." I confirmed, "I never meant to…"

"No apologies." Larry insisted, "I understand."

It was about this time that we noticed a line was forming outside and the gallery manager informed us it was time to let them in. I hadn't expected a line, but I later learned that Art 101 had a reputation for the art they brought in. This meant that everyone wanted to see the new artist immediately, especially since they had all heard it was a one night only event.

When the art gallery closed a few hours later the manager told us we had sold out. Peyton's eyes started to water again and I brought her to my side, letting her lean her face into me.

"I cannot believe what an incredible birthday I have had already. You are the best." She smiled up at me, trying to wipe away her tears, "And my friends, you guys being here means the world to me. Savannah, you invited my dad. I… Dad, you being here means so much, I'm not sure if you realize. I got so used to you just being gone, and then when you came home, we were at odds… it killed me. I didn't know how to fix it. I wanted to, but I didn't know how. So you being here tonight, I can't tell you how happy it makes me. So yeah… and I'm starved. Don't we have dinner plans?"

Everyone else laughed loudly. Savannah led the whole group to gather their coats and then out to the limo that was waiting. The gallery manager assured me that as soon as she had received payments from all the buyers a check would be in the mail. The check was nice but the night had not been about that. It had been about making Peyton happy, which I was sure we had done.

The Hard Rock Café was pretty crowded considering it was a holiday and it was a Thursday night, but nonetheless, because we had reservations the hostess took our group of ten and sat us immediately, close to the bar but sort of in the far corner of the room.

"My name is Tiffany and I'm going to be your server tonight. Can I start everybody off with some drinks? Appetizers?"

It was decided pretty quickly that everyone was starving so appetizers were a must, but no one could agree on what to order.

"Let's do this." I took charge, "Order three of the Jumbo Combo appetizers and just scatter them on the table so that everyone has a chance to try everything. Is that cool?"

"I can do that." Tiffany grinned and wrote the order down on her pad, "Drinks?"

She went around the table and got everyone's drink order. Larry and Karen even ordered wine which I figured was a good sign, showing that they were relaxed enough to drink around all of us.

There was a lot of chatter at the table as everyone talked at the same time about what was still to come in the next few days, and how awesome the first full day in New York had been. Peyton and Brooke were chattering the loudest while Peyton told her about the day we had.

"Now Savannah, I specifically remember you telling me when trying to convince me to let Lucas come on this little outing, that your dad was going to be present. And where is he young lady?"

I could tell Karen was just trying to make Savannah sweat a little because she had a slight smirk on her face as Savannah sputtered a little.

"Well, I um… I think I said that my dad is in New York City, which he is, he just isn't like, with us." She smiled almost devilishly. Leave it to my little sister to find a way to stretch the truth to fit her agenda.

"Nice one." Karen laughed, "It's fine. I'll let it go."

"Thanks. We are going to see my dad tomorrow though. I have papers I have to get him to sign so, like, during the day we're going to go see him and Cammie's dad at their practice here."

"What kind of doctor's are they?" Larry asked.

"Plastic surgeon's." Savannah and Camille answered at the same time, turning to each other and then laughing loudly.

"Wow." Larry was clearly impressed as he took a sip of his newly appeared wine.

"Speak of the devil." Savannah had her phone in her hand and she smiled when she answered it, "Hi daddy."

"So, Xander, what is it that you do? I mean, we know you're in Spain most of the time but I've never thought to ask what it is you do there." Karen asked innocently.

Lucky for me, the lie came easily, since very few people really did know what I did.

"Most of the time I am an artist, I paint. Spain offers a lot of inspiration. And I also run the family business which was passed to me from my grandfather, who died not too long ago. We own a fleet of fishing boats, so I make sure everything runs smoothly."

I guess it wasn't entirely a lie. I do paint, when I have the time. And we do own a fleet of fishing boats, as a cover. The fishing is mostly dropping stuff into the middle of the ocean where no one will find it, more than bringing home fish.

"And that kind of business gets you a plane like the one we flew here in? Apparently working on a boat pays a lot less than owning one."

"Well, the plane was my grandfather's also. He passed it on to me. Everything passed on to me actually. The business, the plane, the estate in Spain… and it's been done that way for a lot of generations. My mom is one of four girls though, so he had no sons to pass it on to. I'm the oldest grandson so it went to me."

"Technically, Andres is the oldest." Savannah corrected me, reminding me that our cousin Andres was a mere 5 days older, "He's the stupidest person I've ever met though, so Abuelo chose correctly."

"Oh, do you remember me telling you that Savannah speaks 5 languages?" Karen turned to Larry and luckily it seemed the conversation was going to switch topics from me to my sister.

"Six now. I'm pretty much fluent in German."

"Where did you find the time to learn German?" Nathan asked randomly, "You have school and basketball and a social life…"

Savannah shrugged.

"I have the CD in my car, so whenever there is no one else in the car for me to torture, I play it and practice. And then when I have free time, I read the book."

"You're a freak." Nathan teased.

"Thank you." Savannah laughed and turned back to Karen, "We still need to take a trip to Italy. You know the food. I know the language."

"I know a little of the language, but I'm sure I'm not fluent like you. It does amaze me that you taught yourself all those languages."

"I never want to stop learning either." Savannah said, "I'm finishing up German so I think maybe I will try Greek next. My sister says it is an awesome language. She's in Greece right now, apprenticing at a Greek restaurant."

"You talked to Mariah?" I didn't know my twin was talking to anyone these days.

"Yeah. She was back to being normal Mariah, which was sort of refreshing since I wasn't sure what to do with normal Mariah. Oh, dad said that you need to let him know an exact date for the wedding so that he can make plans to attend. He said June of next year is already booking and he wants to make sure he's planned his vacation accordingly."

"June? Is that when you guys are going to get married?" Karen asked Peyton and I.

Larry still looked uncomfortable with the idea but he was at least trying, which was a start.

"June, what did we decide? The 15th?"

"16th." Peyton corrected me with a smile, "June 16th."

"That's only like seven months away. We have a lot of work to do." Brooke sighed, "We're starting as soon as we get home ok?"

Peyton turned to me for help but I just shrugged.

"I told you. You can have whatever wedding you want but I can't help you plan it. Brooke is your only ally."

"And me." Savannah frowned, "I wanna help."

"We can all help." Cammie added, "Don't worry Peyton. You are going to have a fabulous wedding."

Before there was more talk of the wedding our appetizers arrived and we all placed our entrée orders. For awhile no one talked, instead everyone just ate their food loudly.

It was a few hours before we had all finished eating and talking. Karen and Larry were on their third glass of wine each and were clearly a little tipsy. It was then that it occurred to me that I had no idea where they were staying.

"Savannah." I distracted Savannah while everyone else was laughing loudly and managed to whisper to her, "Where are Karen and Larry staying?"

"I got them a room at the hotel. It's on the same floor as us, just a separate suite. Why?"

"I just didn't know what we were going to do with them."

"Oh, yeah. It's taken care of."

I paid the bill despite protests from Larry that I shouldn't have to pay for it all. I could understand the need to protest, keeping his pride from being wounded, but I also knew that there was no way he could reasonably afford what ended up being a 200 bill.

"We got you a suite on the same floor as ours at the hotel." Savannah told the parents as we all headed to the limo that was waiting for us outside, "Our suite is out of beds, so I just thought we'd get you a room close by. Is that ok?"

"Of course sweetie." Karen pulled Savannah in for a hug and kissed her forehead, "Thank you for bringing us out."

"You're welcome." Savannah hugged her back and then looked at me with her eyes wide as Karen ducked into the limo.

At the hotel we checked Karen and Larry into their room down the hall from theirs, and even though I was hoping that with the alcohol in their system they wouldn't want to see our suite, it seemed my day's luck was all used up.

"So how many rooms in this suite of yours? Do I want to know?" Karen asked as we entered our hotel suite.

"There are five." Savannah replied honestly, "Don't count. You won't like the outcome."

"See, it's like I'm condoning teenage sex. I'm saying it's ok, just by agreeing to let you come on this trip. Brooke, you're staying with me in my room. Lucas, Larry's gonna stay here with you."

"What?" Lucas and Brooke both yelled at the same time.

"Probably not a good idea Karen." Larry objected, laughing, "Besides, then we don't get to have any fun."

"Eww." Peyton and Lucas both cringed as their parents kissed in front of all of us.

"Dad, please, go to your own room to do that." Peyton buried her head against my side so she didn't have to watch.

"Seriously mom, I don't want to see that." Lucas agreed.

"Alright, parents are leaving." Karen dragged Larry out into the hall, "See you in the morning kids."

"Goodnight." Lucas watched them walk down the hall and made sure they got into their room. When he closed the door behind him, he shuddered loudly, "That was beyond gross. I could go the rest of my life not seeing my mom and your dad do that Peyt."

"Amen." Peyton rolled her eyes, "Thanks for a great birthday you guys, but I am beat. Bed is calling me."

"And me." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her exposed shoulder. It was in that moment I realized I had been up since 8 am on very little sleep the night before, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Everyone else called after us.

When we were in bed, wrapped up in each other's arms only a few minutes later, I resisted the incredible urge to make Peyton mine, like I had in the shower this morning. My dick said I needed her. My brain said I needed sleep more.

"I love you." She whispered, clearly almost asleep in my arms already, "Thank you for an amazing day."

"I love you too. Happy Birthday baby."

Sleep took us very quickly and even in my dreams, life didn't get better than it was in that moment.

_**Author's Note: Ok, so usually these little notes come pre-chapter but I wanted to do this one after the chapter for a few reasons. I wanted you to read it first and then I wanted to say this: I know that I hinted to Chris Keller coming around in this chapter, but I decided against it for a few reasons. One, the chapter was getting long and I needed to wrap it up. Two, I wanted to keep the chapter light and fluffy, which would not be the case had Chris Keller showed up. Three, there are other conflicts I have planned for the next few chapters, so I figured we'd get the fluff in now and conflict later. Anyway, glad you read this. Review please!**_


	22. Chapter 20: New York City, Part 3

_**Author's Note: Before you read this chapter, there are a few things you need to know.**_

_** #1) This is a really long chapter. Really, really long. I figured it should be because it's been two weeks since I updated last. **_

_**#2) There is a sex scene at the end of this chapter. You do not have to read it but I tried to make it less graphic than previous sex scenes have been because I want you to read it. There is something that is implied but not actually stated and I want to see if anyone can guess what it is. :) **_

_**#3) A new character is introduced in this chapter. His name is Bryan and if you are wondering what he looks like, I picture him looking like Nick Zano. Google him, lol. **_

_**As always, enjoy and review please. Thanks!  
**_

**Chapter Twenty**

**New York City, Part 3**

**Savannah POV**

New York City buzzed at all hours of the day. I guess that was why they called it the city that never sleeps. Too bad for me, I didn't get much sleep either.

We had arrived home last night well after midnight and it had taken me awhile to fall asleep. Nathan had come into my room and we sat chatting for awhile, even while he was texting Haley from the phone I had given him. He told me that she had a good family dinner and was enjoying just watching movies with her siblings, and bonding with her nieces and nephews. It was probably around 2 am when he finally left my room and I was able to go to sleep, only to be awoken by my morning wakeup call at 5:30.

I stumbled through getting ready and found my way downstairs to the car waiting to take me to the plane. Larry and Karen met me in the car, deciding that they were going to go ahead and go home to Tree Hill for the rest of the holiday weekend, not wanting to intrude on our plans. Out of respect I tried to ensure them they weren't intruding, but luckily for all of us, they insisted on going home.

"I still don't understand why they're making you fly home every single day to take drug tests, on a school holiday." Larry pondered.

"Well, they claim it's because I got kicked out of my last school for possession of marijuana, which I'll tell you now was not mine but most people don't believe me. The real reason I have to take the tests though is because Dan Scott has the entire school board in his pocket and because he doesn't want me to take the spotlight from "his sons" as he calls them, he wants me kicked off the team. He knew we were going to New York so he thought if he made the school make me take drug tests, we wouldn't go or we would go and I would miss the tests, getting kicked off the team anyway."

"He actually called them both his sons?" Karen looked uneasy.

"Yeah." I nodded, putting my head on her shoulder, "But see, here I am. Proving him wrong. I guess he didn't realize I had an airplane at my disposal."

"I guess not." Karen smiled and hugged me, "I'm very glad you moved to Tree Hill."

"Me too." I agreed, "I feel like I've been here my whole life. Like it's where I was meant to be."

Karen kissed the top of my head and lets her fingers run through my hair. It occurs to me while she's doing this that this is what it feels like to have a real mom. A mom who cares about your well being.

"While it would be disturbing given Lucas and I's past, I wish you were my real mom."

"Well, yes, it would be disturbing," Karen kisses my head again, "but it is nice having you around. I practically raised Haley too, but she's out on her own now, married, grown up."

"Crazy." I added and then laughed, "Sorry, she hates me. I tend to lash out sometimes."

"Why does Haley hate you?" Larry asked, joining the conversation after being quiet for a little while, just watching Karen and I interact.

"She thinks I'm after Nathan."

"And you're not?" Larry questioned again.

"No!" I snapped, immediately realizing that made me sound guiltier, "No. Nathan and I are just friends."

"Ok." Larry held his hands up in surrender, "I just thought I'd ask. I mean, I could see where Haley would be jealous. You and Nathan are very obviously close."

"We are close. We tell each other everything, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to steal him from her. I want him to be happy and Haley makes him happy. They are married after all. I mean, what teenage boy gets married to a girl who he doesn't want to be with forever?"

"Well, there's two answers to that. One, you could argue that because normal teenage boys would normally run from commitment, he must love her for marrying her so young. You could also argue though that teenagers notoriously change their mind every few minutes, so maybe he did love her enough to marry her but now he's changed his mind." Larry shrugged, "I'm being diplomatic here. I'm not around enough nor do I know Nathan and Haley personally enough to judge. The only experience of Nathan I have is how he is around you and how he was when he dated Peyton. When he's with you, from an outsider's point of view, it would look like you two are together. When he was with Peyton, he was a jerk."

"I…" I didn't know whether to defend myself or defend Nathan or both. I just shook my head instead, defending nothing.

On the plane I let Larry and Karen have the run of the place while I went and slept in the main bedroom. I had a hard time sleeping though, because of what Larry had said. I didn't see it but maybe it was just because I was part of it. I didn't understand how anyone thought Nathan and I were more than just friends and I kept trying to figure it out. I tried to see us as an outsider would see us, but I just couldn't.

"Have fun when you go back sweetie. Tell everyone we said thank you for a great time last night." Karen hugged me as we stood at the Tree Hill airport.

Larry was pulling their car out while we said our goodbyes.

"We always have fun." I laughed, hugging her back, "Thanks for coming out. You guys made Peyton's birthday so much better for her."

Larry pulled up near us and loaded their luggage into the trunk. Karen hugged me one more time and then went to get in the car.

"If I upset you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just tend to give my opinion when I see something and well, I should just shut up sometimes."

"No, it's fine. I guess I just don't see things the same way everyone else does. You're not the first person to give me that observation, but I promise, Nathan and I are just friends. I would never betray Haley like that, even if she does hate me."

"I know." Larry hugged me, which surprised me a little bit but I hugged him back.

"So, what does this make you to me? You're going to be my brother's father-in-law so…"

"I'm just Larry." He laughed and headed for the car, "Thanks again for inviting us Savannah. I'm sure we'll see you around when you get back to town."

"Of course!"

When they were gone I headed to my car and pulled it out of the hanger, driving quickly to the clinic where I had my drug test done. It took a few minutes to pee in the cup and then I was back in the car. Before I headed back to New York though, I wanted to stop and see Haley. Make one more attempt to bring her to New York for a little fun.

"Can I help you?" a girl who was about Haley's height but with much blonder hair who was dressed in nothing but tiny shorts and a tank top answered the door.

"Um, is Haley here? I'm Savannah. I…"

"I know who you are." The girl replied, "I've seen the pictures of you with Nathan. What do you want?"

"Taylor! Who's at the door?" Haley came out of the bathroom towel drying her hair and stopped dead when she saw me, "What's going on? Is Nathan ok?"

"Oh, yeah, no. Nathan's fine." I stuttered a bit, "He's in New York. I just had to come back for my drug test this morning and then I decided I'd come find you and try to convince you one more time to come with us to New York. I mean, even if you just wanted to come for the day, I could have the plane bring you back tonight. I think Nathan would like to see you though."

Haley smiled slightly but as soon as it appeared it was gone again. It was almost as if she was fighting herself with still hating me.

"Thank you but no. My family's only in town for a little while and I want to spend time with them. Oh, this is my sister Taylor by the way. Taylor this is Savannah."

"We met." Taylor responded, still staring daggers at me. It was in that look that I knew they were related. Obviously she was of the same mind that Haley was in believing I wanted to take Nathan away.

"Alright, well then I guess I better get back. Call me if you change your mind Haley."

I turned to leave and I heard the door close behind me so I sighed and headed back to my car. I was stopped halfway when a hand grabbed my upper arm and spun me around. I expected Haley but it was Taylor instead.

"Stay away from my brother in law whore. If my sister get's hurt, I will find you."

"Excuse me?"

She was trying to be intimidating but I was much taller then her, so I stared down at her. She didn't back off at all though.

"You heard me Savannah. Nathan and Haley are happy. Don't get in the way."

"I'm not trying to! Why doesn't everyone get this? I am just friends with Nathan. I want what is best for him and clearly, what is best for him is Haley. I know that. He knows that. Haley knows that. Apparently you know that. We are all on the same page here! So why is it that you and Haley seem to want to fight me over it?"

Taylor didn't respond to my question but she did back off a little bit and started to head back towards the apartment.

"Don't get in the way Savannah. I'm not Haley's only sibling!"

I almost laughed at her threat. Clearly she had no idea who my brother was. I didn't even give her the satisfaction of a retort. I turned, got in my car, and headed back to the airport. The way that she had tried to intimidate me bothered me though. It bothered me in the plane and in the car back to the hotel and in the elevator up to the hotel room and even as I walked into the hotel room.

It stopped bothering me when Nathan greeted me at the door and picked me up, spinning me around the room as we both laughed loudly.

"How was your flight?" He asked, finally setting me down on my bed after we had spun all the way inside.

"It was good." I laid down on my back on the bed, my legs dangling over the edge and Nathan laid down next to me, "I went to see Haley and I got to meet Taylor."

"Why did you go to see Haley?" Nathan asked, laughing slightly.

"I wanted to try again to see if I could get her to come here, even if only for the day."

"No such luck huh?"

"Nope and Taylor threatened me so I had tons of fun."

"Oh god, Taylor has no room to talk. What did she say?"

"She said that I needed to stay away from you or else she was going to find me and then threatened me with the rest of the James clan if I got in the way of you and Haley being together." It was kind of funny now that I repeated it, and Nathan clearly found it funny because he was laughing loudly.

"Do you know how many times Taylor has tried to seduce me? In fact, little fact for you, I lost my virginity to Taylor in my freshman year of high school."

"Shut up!" I screamed.

"No seriously." Nathan was still laughing, "Ignore her. She doesn't even know what she's talking about."

I sighed and turned to wrap my arms around him and bury my head into his shoulder.

"You always know how to make me feel better."

"Feel better? You were actually upset about what Taylor said to you?"

"No." I lied, "Sort of. It's just been a long morning already. I just want to have a good day now."

Someone cleared their throat at the door so Nathan and I sat up partially to see who was there. It was Camille, who had her eyebrows raised at us, and Tim who was doing a dance I could only assume meant that he thought we were doing more than just talking.

"So um, my appointment with the modeling guy is in an hour and it's on the other side of town so I thought we should probably get going."

"Of course." I sat up completely as did Nathan, "I just need to change really quick."

I closed the door to my bathroom and found a casual outfit to throw on quickly, just a black t-shirt under a blue cardigan, jeans, and a green military jacket to keep me warm. I grabbed a black scarf in case it was really cold, redid my ponytail and then opened the door, smiling at Nathan who was still waiting for me patiently.

"So I'm serious Savannah. Don't let Taylor or even Haley bother you ok? We're here to have fun and I'll call Haley later to make sure everything is ok so, you don't even need to worry about it."

"Ok." I smiled back at him, "I'm ready to go. Let's get out of here so Cammie isn't late."

On the agenda for the rest of our day, we were heading first to meet with Matthew Walker, a modeling agent with Prestige Modeling. The rest of us were going to wait for Camille to meet with him and then we had to go to my dad's office to have him sign my basketball papers. Since Camille's dad would be there also, we figured we could see him too, maybe have lunch with the parentals.

"Hi, my name is Camille Stevens. I have an appointment to see Matthew Walker." Camille told the receptionist at Prestige.

"Here's some paperwork I need you to fill out. When you're done bring them back to me and I'll let Mr. Walker know you're here."

Camille, Tim, Lucas, and Nathan sat down in the chairs while Brooke and I walked around the office looking at all the pictures of the models that they represented. Peyton and Xander had gone to look at something they wanted to get for their wedding so they would be meeting up with us at my dad's office.

"Look how skinny they are!" Brooke hissed at a picture of blonde twins who looked seriously anorexic, "I could never use models that skinny for my clothing line. When I'm a big fashion designer, I'm going to demand that everyone who works for me is at least a size 4."

"4 is still pretty small Brooke."

"What size are you?" Brooke retorted.

"3...4 depending on the clothing. Why?"

"You're perfect. I don't want anyone skinnier than you." Brooke was resolute on her decision so I backed off.

"These girls are definitely too skinny." I finally agreed as we continued looking around the room, "If these are the girls that they like here, Cammie's not gonna make it. She's a size 4 too."

"I really hope they don't turn her into an anorexic or bulimic." Brooke worried, watching Camille laugh with Tim as she filled out her forms, "Dim Tim has never been so happy."

"Neither has Cammie." I agreed, "We'll just have to keep an eye on her."

We joined the others, sitting and waiting. Camille finished filling out the forms, handed them to the receptionist, and then moments later a guy who looked to be a former model himself came out and asked Camille into his office, quickly looking the rest of us over before closing the door behind them.

"She's so excited about this. I hope she gets it." Tim mused in a very un-Tim-like moment.

"She's so perfect for it. If he doesn't accept her we'll all go in there and beat him up." I joked, reaching over and patting Tim's hand for reassurance. It was sweet how much he cared about her.

It took about 45 minutes before Camille reappeared, a grin stretching across her face.

"Hey Savannah, can you come here?"

I was confused for a minute but if she asked me to come in with her, I had to do it. I followed her into the office and she closed the door behind us.

"Hi Savannah. I'm Matthew Walker." The guy came over and shook my hand, "I asked your friend Camille to bring you in here because I wanted to see if you would be interested in trying out modeling. Have you ever thought about it?"

I laughed a little and then shook my head.

"No. I'm a basketball player. Modeling isn't really… um, I just hadn't considered it."

"I think you should." He replied immediately, "Camille had a nice selection of pictures to show me and a lot of them had you in them. We're going to sign her but we would definitely be interested in you too, assuming that number one, you were interested, and number two, you have a decent runway walk. Right now we're just on the prowl for some good runway models. You two have the height and build. You weigh about 120?"

"115." I couldn't believe he was actually recruiting me. Didn't guys like this usually hold huge auditions and break most peoples dreams? "Why do you think I would be a good model?"

"Well you're gorgeous." He was trying to be charming, which wouldn't work with me, "Like I said, you're the right height. You're the right weight. These days most designers are not looking for rail thin. A size four is perfect." Brooke would be happy to hear that, "Even in jeans I can tell you have killer legs. The spring fashion shows are coming up. Plus, you have a very exotic look. Dark hair, blue eyes, those gorgeous pouty lips."

"It would be so much fun Savannah. What if we get booked for the same job? We could do this together." Camille added.

"Modeling with your best friend? A lot of girls would kill to have someone to go through this with. Modeling isn't easy, I won't sugarcoat that for you. There is the constant pressure to stay thin. There is a lot of competition. Every tall, skinny girl in America thinks she should be a model, apparently except for you. Just do this for me if you don't mind." Matthew stood from where he had been sitting on his desk, "There's a room in the back there. Change into one of the swimsuits hanging up in there. Come back out here. Walk for me. This whole schpeal could be a waste of time. Maybe you walk like a duck and then I can't use you."

I debated telling him to shove it for a second but then I realized it wouldn't hurt to try. It wasn't like I had any other plans other than play basketball after high school. If that fell through, modeling could be a back up.

I went into the back room and pulled a tiny white and pink bikini off the wall. I took the layers of clothes I had on, off, and then slipped into the bikini. Looking in the mirror I pulled my hair out of it's ponytail, ran my fingers through it to smooth it out, and then nodded, noting that the bikini did seem to fit well.

I exited the small room and came out to stand where Matthew could see me. It looked like Camille had since left the room, which made me a little more nervous.

"Don't be nervous. You look fabulous. Now see the black row of tiles in the middle of the room."

I looked down and noticed the runway like tiles.

"Just walk down them, straight towards me. I'm sure you've seen models walk at least once. You can immitate or you can just walk normal. Either way."

I took a deep breath, moved to the first black tile and then went for it, walking like I assumed a runway model should walk. I reached the end standing right in front of Matthew and he motioned for me to turn and walk back the other way.

"You must love this job. Watching girls walk away in bikinis all day long." I teased him, turning around again to see him smiling.

"It's quite nice." He admitted and then sighed, "Alright Savannah, let's both be honest here. You're model material. I'll tell you what I told Camille. We are a modeling agency. We do not guarantee you work as a model. We do not guarantee you are going to get famous. We do however try our best to get you both. We will want you to build a portfolio, which would include headshots and at least 5 different photo shoots with 5 different photographers. We can provide you a list of photographers that we recommend, however, the cost of getting the portfolio built is yours. Once the portfolio is built satisfactorily, we start to send your headshots out to casting calls. Sometimes you will have to attend the auditions, sometimes you won't. Not everyone will want you but some will. When you are booked for a job, we call you, tell you where you need to be and when. The rest is up to you. Show up. Do the job. Get paid. Additionally, you don't pay me until you get your first job. I get 20 of every cent you earn for the first year you work. After that, we renegotiate. I will tell you, I usually get more after the first year."

"That's all great Mr. Walker…"

"Matthew."

"Matthew." I sighed, "But like I told you in the first place. I play basketball. That's what I want to do with my life. Modeling is just…"

"You know who Lisa Leslie is?"

"Duh." I rolled my eyes, "She's the most recognized name in WNBA history."

"Lisa Leslie models when she's not playing basketball. There is an off season Savannah. What are you going to do during that time?"

"Work to be better."

"And when you're the best?"

"You can never be too good."

Matthew was quiet for a minute, looking me over as if he was sizing me up. It was almost as if he was trying to formulate his next argument, and then he threw up his hands.

"I can't force you. If you don't want to do it, then you don't want to. Modeling isn't for everyone." He went and sat behind his desk and his attention went from me to his computer screen, "You can change in the same room and then you're free to go."

I went back into the room, taking off the bathing suit and putting my clothes back on. I pulled my hair back up into it's ponytail and sighed. I stared into the bathroom mirror and sized myself up again. Maybe he was right. Basketball did have an off season and modeling could be like a hobby for me. It would occupy some time at least.

"Mr. Walker… um.. Matthew?" I went over and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, hoping he hadn't given up completely on me yet, "I would like to give it a try. I thought about when I was changing and you're right. It would occupy some of my free time at least."

He smiled at me and pulled a manila folder from his desk, handing it to me.

"I hoped you would change your mind." He winked at me and still held his smile, "Fill out all these forms. If you're underage like Camille, make sure your parents sign them, and then bring them back to me. You can also fax or mail them if you like. Once I have them you'll be signed into a one year contract which simply states that you agree not to seek other representation for at least one year. Ok?"

"Ok." I agreed, "We're going to see our dad's right now so maybe we can drop them off later today. Would that be ok?"

"That would be perfect."

I stood and so did he. He walked around his desk and extended his hand to shake mine.

"I look forward to working with you Savannah."

"You too Matthew."

I left his office feeling pretty good. Camille saw the envelope in my hand and immediately began to scream excitedly, jumping over to me and hugging me tightly. The others congratulated me as well, which meant she must have told them what was going on behind the closed doors.

"See. I told you that one day you two would be my models." Brooke laughed as we headed downstairs to our waiting car, "It's all working out. When we graduate I will go to fashion design school. You two will wear my clothes to all your big parties and then everyone will realize I'm awesome and…"

"Brooke?" I stopped her.

"Yeah?" She looked over at me happily.

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself sweetie. Let's graduate first huh?"

She laughed loudly, clutching to Lucas's side.

"Ok."

Our father's practice was only a few miles away from Matthew's office thankfully, so we didn't have a long drive. Peyton and Xander were already waiting for us by the elevators that would take us up to the office when we went inside.

"You're late." Xander said looking at his watch.

"The modeling agent wanted to sign Savannah too so it took longer." Camille was still jumping around excitedly.

"Really? That's awesome." Peyton congratulated me, "Ignore Xander by the way. I think he just realized how much planning goes into a wedding and he had a mild heart attack."

"We don't have enough time Peyt. Seriously, if we just postpone a few months that would give us enough time to…"

"Relax baby." Peyton soothed Xander by kissing him softly, "We have plenty of time."

"I'm starved. I hope this doesn't take long so that we can go to lunch." My stomach rumbled as we all entered the elevator.

When the doors opened on the 9th floor into the office lobby, my eyes went immediately to the tall, muscular, blonde man standing at the reception desk. He was familiar before he even turned around and then he smiled.

"Bryan!" Camille bolted into his arms, letting him swing her around the waiting room, "Oh my God. What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Tree Hill now."

"I thought you were staying at school for the break. I can't believe it. I haven't seen you since you started college you jerk."

The rest of the group, other than Xander and I, were staring at Bryan like he was an alien. Tim looked crushed, as if Bryan was going to be the end of his relationship with Camille. I was grinning like an idiot.

"Cammie, you might want to introduce Bryan before your boyfriend cries." I interrupted them.

"Oh my God, you guys. This is my brother Bryan. Bryan this is my boyfriend Tim, and my friend's Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, and Peyton. Peyton's engaged to Xander."

"It's nice to meet you." He greeted the rest of the group and then turned to me, "What? No hi? No hug?"

"I'm so surprised to see you." I jumped into his arms and he swung me around like he had Camille, "I haven't heard from you since… I don't know. It's been a very long time."

"College is very important." He responded, smiling at me. He kept me held to his side while he greeted Xander. The two of them had been best friends growing up but like Cammie and I, Xander hadn't heard from Bryan in awhile.

"So, where are our dad's?" I didn't let go of Bryan because it was so nice being near him again.

"They said they'd be out in a minute. Last minute paperwork and stuff. They seem to have taken the rest of the day off though, so I guess that means they actually want to see us huh?"

"Did you know we were going to be here?" Camille asked her brother as we all waited.

"Yes, and also no. I knew that you guys weren't in Tree Hill, because I drove through there on my way up here, but I did not know you would be here until I called Dad and said I was going to swing by today and he told me you guys were coming by too. I'm glad though. I missed you."

He squeezed me and pulled Camille to his other side, kissing the top of both of our heads.

Bryan and I had an interesting past. We had of course grown up together. He and Xander were best friends just like Camille and I were, despite the fact that Bryan was two years younger than Xander and Mariah and two years older than me and Camille. The four of us were sort of inseparable, which may have been part of the issue that Mariah had with us, but that was beside the point. We did everything together. For awhile our dad's had even said they thought that Camille would marry Xander and I would marry Bryan when we were all older.

Bryan was my first crush. My first love. My first kiss. My first boyfriend. My first lover. My first ex-boyfriend. He was my first in every way. When we broke up during my sophomore year of high school my heart was broken but I never let him know that. We broke up on good terms, vowing that when he graduated and left for college, we would still talk, but we didn't.

He left for college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina right after he graduated high school, wanting to get a head start in acquainting himself with his new surroundings. The summer was horrible for me. I threw myself into basketball and Jackson, the guy I just knew would save me from my feelings for Bryan. He saved my from my feelings for Bryan but had left me in the end more heartbroken then ever.

Bryan and I had only spoken once after he left. Right after Jackson and I had broken up, I had called him, and cried to him for hours. He had been so understanding and had even offered to fly back immediately to kill Jackson. I told him not to though. It wouldn't have been worth it. And although we didn't talk after that, I knew that he and I were still good. We were still friends, despite our past.

I realized now that I didn't have great luck with guys. It didn't matter though. Right now, Bryan was here, and I had the chance to just enjoy his company.

My stomach growled again, loud enough for everyone to hear, and they all looked at me like I was crazy.

"I didn't have breakfast. I had to fly to Tree Hill this morning, remember? Unlike the rest of you who get to wake up leisurely and enjoy the room service." I defended myself.

"Where are you guys staying?" Bryan asked.

"The Waldorf." Xander answered casually.

When our dad's still weren't out a few minutes later, we all chose to sit down in the empty waiting room. I ended up with Nathan on one side and Bryan on the other, clutching my hand. I was happy to let him hold my hand. It brought back so many good memories.

"What time is the basketball game tonight?" Nathan asked me, making me turn my attention from Bryan's hand to Nathan.

"Um, 7 I think. Where's your phone? Check the itinerary."

"I think I left it in your room last night." I felt Bryan's clutch on my hand loosen but I wouldn't allow him to let go.

"Oh yeah, it's on the nightstand. I saw it." I vaguely remembered him setting it there and seeing it still sitting there when I had woken up this morning, "Well, get it when we get back so that I don't accidently answer it and Haley freak out on me."

Nathan laughed.

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't be good. Then we'd have Taylor coming to find you and Haley freaking out."

"What are we talking about?" Lucas asked from his chair across from us.

"I went to ask Haley one more time to come like just for the day up here. I went this morning and Taylor was there and she like threatened me. She said that if I came between Haley and Nathan she was going to find me." I sighed and then realized Bryan had no clue what we were talking about so I clued him in, "Haley is Nathan's wife and Taylor is Haley's sister. They both apparently hate me because they think I want to steal Nathan, but Nate and I are just friends."

As soon as I had explained Bryan's grip on my hand returned, and I realized he must have thought that Nathan and I were more than just friends when Nathan had mentioned leaving his phone in my room. I laughed inside but didn't say anything.

"That's classic. Taylor threatening you for coming between them. She is the last one who should be talking." Lucas and Brooke were both laughing.

"So I've heard." I laughed too, "Anyway, I am going to kill my dad if he doesn't appear soon."

"Who me?" My dad appeared from the door which led to the back area of the office, and Camille's dad followed, "Darling daughter. You wouldn't want to kill me."

"No, you're right." I let go of Bryan and stood, hugging my dad, "Apparently you want to kill me though because I am dying of starvation."

Both dad's laughed.

"Oh guys, this is Bryan and Camille's dad Frank. Dad 2, this is Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Tim."

He sized Tim up immediately, clearly aware this was the guy dating his daughter. I had never seen Tim stand so still as when he was being stared at by Frank Stevens.

"Nice to meet you all." Frank shook everyone's hand, including Tim's and then turned to me, "So you're starved are you?"

"Starved. I haven't eaten today."

"Savannah. That's not healthy." My dad scolded, "It's already 1 o'clock in the afternoon."

"I'm aware. I had a busy morning." I pouted, "Food daddy?"

"Yes food pumpkin." My dad smiled, "Alright gang, let's all load up downstairs and we will all go to lunch. You have those papers you need me to sign?"

"I do. I actually have more for you to sign. I'll explain at lunch though."

Once we were downstairs again my dad suggested we walk to a restaurant that wasn't too far away and should be able to handle a group our size.

The two dad's took the lead and the rest of us fell behind them in groups. Nathan walked with Lucas and Brooke. Peyton and Xander looked to be arguing but it was probably still about the wedding being postponed. Tim was talking with Camille, clearly unsure of how to be around her dad. This left me to walk with Bryan, in the back of the pack, where no one could really hear us.

"How have you been?" Bryan asked, looking over at me and smiling, squeezing my hand which was still entangled in his.

"I'm good. Almost done with high school."

"Tree Hill is ok? You're not going crazy?"

"No. I love it." I smiled up at him, "I have really great friends, as you can see. School isn't too bad and I get to play basketball. Well, hopefully. They're trying to get me kicked off."

I explained to Bryan the situation with Dan, the basketball team, and the drug tests.

"That's so ridiculous. At the same time, with a girl as good as you are, most of them are probably just afraid you'll be better than the boys which will make them look bad."

"That's stupid though. I just… I don't get it." I sighed, "Let's change the subject. How's college?"

"College is… uneventful. I go to class, study, sometimes go to a party, study some more, go back to class. It's not as much fun as I thought it was going to be although, I've been taking extra classes which means I'm going to be able to graduate early. I should graduate next year actually. Which of course doesn't mean I'm done because I still have law school but…"

"That's exciting though." I grinned, "You always were super smart."

"I wish I still had you to help me with my Spanish though."

I laughed.

"Still can't conjugate those verbs huh?"

"Not to save my life."

We arrived at the restaurant. We waited for a few minutes, while they prepared a table big enough for our group and then were seated. Since there were two dad's they sat at opposite ends of the table, each becoming a "head" of the table. I sat near my dad, Bryan next to me. I noticed that Nathan seemed a little bit jealous because normally it was him who sat next to me but he chose a seat opposite of the table from me, next to Lucas where I could make funny faces at him and make him laugh.

After the waiter took our drink and appetizer orders I put the two large packets of paper in front of my dad and smiled.

"One is the basketball papers. I've filled out everything, you just have to sign. The other is something I just got. Actually, Camille and I went to meet with a modeling agent this morning. No, actually Cammie went to meet him and then he asked to meet me too and I kind of got talked into agreeing to try modeling."

"Modeling?" My dad looked at me skeptically. Across the table Camille's dad was giving her the same look.

"I'm pretty, don't you think?" I frowned, putting guilt on my dad.

"Savannah, that's not the point. You're gorgeous. We all know that, but modeling? I thought you wanted to play basketball professionally."

"I do." I assured him, "I really do but modeling can be something I do on the side. Plus, I'm not gonna be professional right away. After high school I have to play on a college team for at least a year before I can be drafted to the WNBA. Between now and then, modeling could be an outlet for me. It will take up some time. It could even provide me with some industry contacts. I just want something to do, you know? And if basketball doesn't work out, because we know that my record could get in the way, then I at least have modeling to fall back on."

"Modeling is not something you fall back on Savannah. You get a college degree and fall back on that. Modeling is a risk."

"I want to do it." I wasn't budging. I usually got my way and I was determined this would be no different, "Please daddy?"

The two dad's stared down the table at one another, both contemplating the decision. Camille and I were smiling at each other hopefully.

"Fine." My dad caved first as he began to sign paperwork, "I'm a complete sucker, you realize that?"

"I do." I leaned over and kissed his forehead, "I love you daddy."

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes at me but I knew he loved me too, "I need a drink."

Camille's dad began to sign paperwork shortly after and it was official. We had an agent.

"So Bryan, what are you studying in college?" Lucas decided to strike up other conversation around the table.

"I am a political science major but I'll be applying to law school when I graduate." Bryan responded, "It's not exciting but it will be a good career."

"Smart career." Frank added, "He made a good decision."

Frank was super proud of Bryan, and had always been. Bryan had been a straight A student forever. He had been valedictorian of his high school class. He could have attended any university he had wanted to, including any of the Ivy League schools. I still didn't know why he had chosen UNC. He never told me, but that's where he had ended up.

"You're all senior's in high school. What are your college plans?" Frank asked us.

"I was considering Chapel Hill actually." Lucas started, "My plan is to play basketball but I want to get a degree in creative writing too."

In the few months that Lucas and I had dated, I had found out about his penchant for writing. He had shared with me a few chapters of a book he wanted to write and it was amazing. If basketball fell through, writing would be a great outlet for him.

"I want to go to fashion design school. I was thinking about NYU School of Fashion design actually." Brooke grinned, "Anywhere that will accept my crappy grades."

The rest of us laughed.

"You still have time to pull up your grades Brooke. Besides, fashion design school doesn't exactly rely on academics."

"Very true, which is why it suits me so well." Brooke laughed with us.

"Nathan?" My dad urged the conversation on, "Basketball?"

"Duke, hopefully. It's always been my plan to go to Duke."

"That's a great school, especially for basketball." Frank told him, "Good choice."

"Thank you."

"What about you little miss model?" My dad teased me.

"Um, I don't know. I always planned to play for UCLA but maybe Duke. I kind of like North Carolina now."

Peyton was next and she shrugged.

"Art school maybe, but we're getting married, so I don't know. I always wanted to work in the music business. Maybe I'll pursue something with that."

"Tim?"

Tim was so nervous. I could see it visibly, he was almost shaking. Camille hugged him which seemed to calm him down a little bit.

"My dad wants me to go to UNC Chapel Hill, cause that's where he went, but I was thinking the University of Arizona actually. I like their basketball team."

The rest of us were actually pretty stunned. None of us had known Tim had even put any thought into where he was going to go to college.

"The UofA is a great team." I admitted.

Frank turned his attention to Camille who shook her head almost violently.

"Don't look at me like that. You know that I have no intention of going to college. I never have. You can be just as successful without school as you can with school. I'm not going."

"Uh oh." Bryan and I said at the same time.

This conversation between Frank and Camille usually turned into an argument.

"Yeah, let's not have that conversation here huh?" My dad interrupted them before they could start the yelling, "Xander, Peyton. Tell me about the wedding."

This was a much happier subject, although Xander was still adamant that they didn't have enough time to plan. Peyton and Brooke talked happily about the plans for the wedding dress, without giving away too much information because Xander wasn't allowed to know what it looked like. Peyton also revealed that Brooke was going to design the bridesmaid's dresses too and reminded me and Camille that we needed to get fitted for the dress pretty soon.

We had pleasant conversation for the rest of lunch, laughing with the dad's and telling them what our plans were for the rest of the trip.

"We have the Knicks game tonight. Well, me and the boys. Brooke, Peyton, and Camille have dinner plans and shopping."

"No basketball for you three?" My dad smiled at them as they shook their heads vigorously, "Not really your thing?"

"They're all cheerleaders." I countered.

"Just because we cheer doesn't mean we like basketball." Brooke retorted, "Cheering is a sport of it's own. We don't need basketball to cheer."

"Cheering is not a sport." I argued. This was actually an argument Camille and I had been having for years, "Cheering is a hobby."

"Cheering is too a sport. You try doing a standing back handspring. It takes more athleticism than shooting an ugly orange ball into a hoop a few feet about your head."

"She can do a standing back handspring." Camille answered before I could, "She was a cheerleader when we were kids but she preferred playing basketball. Trust me, we have had this conversation a million and one times. You are never going to convince Savannah that cheering is a sport. She's stubborn and sometimes a bit pigheaded."

"Hey!" I objected.

Brooke and Peyton giggled a little but smiled at me.

"I'll drop it then, but you are wrong Savannah." Brooke added.

"No I'm not." I was adamant in my stance on this.

"Alright girls." My dad quieted us, "Tomorrow you are going to the Victoria's Secret Fashion show?"

"We are." Brooke was super excited about this part of the plan, "I've watched it every year on TV for like, as long as I can remember. I love the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. It's so interesting, like all the intricate details of the outfits…"

"They're underwear." Bryan mused, "What is so intricately detailed in underwear?"

"Obviously, you've never watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion show because everything is super detailed. It's not just underwear, they are costumes. They have wings and capes and… they're beautiful." Brooke sighed, "I would love to design for Victoria's Secret."

"Tomorrow is souvernir shopping day." I changed the subject before Brooke and Bryan got heated over the underwear debate, "And then the fashion show and then we leave early Sunday morning."

"It's been nice seeing you here. I miss you." My dad leaned over and kissed my forehead, "I never thought sending you to North Carolina would be so hard on me."

"I didn't either. I mean, dad, you work all the time. Even in Cali I didn't see you that much."

"I know. I think it's just that I'm finally realizing that you're growing up, and you're my baby, so it's hard." My dad smiled at me, "I'm glad you guys came to visit."

"Me too daddy."

My dad paid the lunch bill and then guided us all out of the building. We walked back to their offices where we called our car and said our goodbye's to the two dads. After we left, we had to go back to Matthew Walker's office to drop off our papers and then we would have just enough time to make it back to the hotel to change before we split into groups and went our separate ways.

"You wanna go with us to the game? I'm sure I can get an extra ticket for you." I offered Bryan before we were about to get into our car from my dad's office.

"I would love to, but I don't want to be any trouble."

"No, no trouble. Just swing by our hotel in about an hour and a half. Call me when you get there and I'll make sure you can come up to the room."

"Ok." Bryan nodded, "I'll see you then."

Everyone was already in the car waiting for me but it was so weird. I didn't want to leave Bryan's side, so I did the only thing I could think to do. I kissed him. I didn't wrap up in him but I let my nails dig into his shoulders and his hands rested on my hips. I kissed him hard. Lucky for me, he kissed me back.

"Bring your stuff. You can stay with us tonight." I whispered.

Before he could reply I slipped into our car and shut the door behind me. The entire group was staring at me and trying not to laugh at what I had to assume was a silly grin on my face.

"Someone doesn't waste any time falling back into old habits." Camille teased me.

"Shut up." My retort wasn't exactly original, "It's a short vacation. I have to use all the time I have."

"So your ex? Cammie's brother?" Brooke raised her eyebrows at me, "He's hot but why did we not know about this? When? What happened?"

"I knew." Nathan admitted, "She tells me everything."

No one said anything for a minute and then I realized they were waiting for me to explain me and Bryan's relationship.

"Um, well, we've known each other forever, obviously. And um, we started dating when I was in the 6th grade and he was in the 8th."

"He asked her to his 8th grade dance." Xander smiled, "I remember that. You were so excited."

"I was." I nodded with a smile, "So we went to the dance together and then I became his 'girlfriend' although at that age all that meant was that we held hands."

"You did more than hold hands." Camille countered, "I specifically remember walking in on you guys in his room…"

"Hey! You promised to never tell anyone about that!" I stopped her before she could say anything else, "Ignore her. She doesn't remember anything."

Camille giggled, biting her bottom lip.

"Anyway, so we dated for five years."

"Five years! From the 6th grade?" Peyton scoffed, "Wow."

"Yeah, he was my first everything." I shrugged, "We broke up during his senior year so he could focus on school, graduate, and leave for college. We haven't really seen each other since he left for college."

"Aww, and now you guys are reconnecting. That is so adorable!" Brooke cuddled next to Lucas.

"Whatever, I need to get an extra ticket to the game tonight." I pulled out my phone but Xander stopped me.

"Give him mine. I'll stay with Peyton."

Peyton smiled up at him and he kissed her softly.

"Seriously, give him mine. I don't really want to go."

"Ok." I put my phone back away, "That was easy enough."

We were back at the hotel exactly an hour later, allowing me time to take a shower and find something cute yet sporty to wear to the basketball game. Luckily for me, it was the New York Knicks versus the Los Angeles Lakers and I loved the Lakers, so I had plenty team gear to choose from.

Eventually I just settled on jeans with a Luke Walton Lakers jersey. I loved this jersey more than anything because Luke himself had given it to me, when he had come to one of our basketball games. He said I amazed him, which was amazing to me, and then he gave me the jersey.

"Don't you look the part of the little sports fan." Peyton teased me when I was coming out from my bedroom.

"I am a sports fan. I don't need to look the part." I retorted but laughed and spun, "I do look cute though, don't I?"

"Don't encourage her." Xander joined us, wrapping his arms around Peyton and kissing her neck, "Her head doesn't need to get any bigger."

"Hey!" I objected, "I am cute."

"Hence the head doesn't need to get any bigger." Xander smiled at me, "Brooke is yelling that she needs you. She's in the kitchen area."

"That's a scary thought." Peyton laughed and headed the other way, leaving me and Xander.

"So hey, I know the history with you and Bryan, and I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but, please be careful. Bryan used to be one of my best friends but I don't want to see him hurt you again ok?"

"Thanks Xan, but I know Bryan and I are in the past. I'm not investing my heart in this one. We're just having a good time." I smiled at him and went over to hug him just as my phone rang, "Hopefully that's him so that we can get out of here."

The caller ID was a number I didn't recognize so I assumed it was Bryan. I assumed correctly. He said he was waiting in the lobby so I gave him our room number and told him to come on up. Moments later he was at the door, which I swung open happily.

"Come on in."

Bryan pulled his suitcase in with him and looked around.

"This is very nice." He complimented, "Custom suite?"

"Only the best for me. You should know that." We stood quietly for a minute before I realized he was still carrying a bag, "Oh, so we don't have extra rooms. You're gonna have to stay in mine… with me. You have a problem with that?"

"Show me the room and I'll let you know." Bryan raised an eyebrow at me and I responded with the same, motioning for him to follow me.

Once in the room he closed the door behind us and dropped his bags, pulling me into his arms and attacking my lips with his own. His hands immediately began roaming my body and we were almost to the bed when someone else knocked on the door.

"You kissed me at the limo and I couldn't wait to be able to hold you." Bryan whispered.

I could barely breathe from the kisses but I managed to squeak out a yeah and then call out to whoever was at the door to come in.

"Hey Savannah…" Nathan stopped when he saw Bryan and I standing there together, "Sorry. The car is here."

"We'll be right there Nate." I replied.

Nathan nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door with him.

"We better go." I said quietly to Bryan who was still looking at me as if he wanted to ravage me right then, "The room will still be here after the game."

"If I can make it through the game without having you." Bryan almost growled, "You're right. Let's go."

We left the room and found Nathan, Lucas, and Tim already waiting.

"Bye Xander! Bye Peyton! Bye Brooke! Bye Cammie!"

They were all in various places in the suite but they all yelled back their goodbyes.

"Let's go boys."

We were at Madison Square Garden within 10 minutes. I made arrangements with the driver about when and where to pick us up and then we headed inside. We had tickets that were a few rows behind the Lakers bench, so I was super excited. When I had called to get tickets, I didn't think they would have any of these seats available but luckily they had.

"This is so cool." Tim looked around and right at the court which we were almost level with, "Seriously, the coolest thing I have ever done."

We all settled into our seats and waited for opening tip off. We got to watch the players warm up a bit and then head back into the locker room. It was so exhilarating. I missed NBA games.

In California, I had season tickets for the Lakers, so we went on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes me with friends. Sometimes me with my dad. Sometimes me with Xander. Sometimes just me. I lived for basketball then and Laker basketball was the best to watch.

"It's not cheating if we're just looking at the cheerleaders, right?" Tim laughed as he, Lucas, and Nathan all watched the cheerleaders coming to the court.

"Just mind cheating." I laughed.

"And that's my sister you're mind cheating on, so watch it." Bryan threatened Tim.

Tim's eyes immediately left the cheerleaders. Lucas and Nathan just laughed.

"I'm gonna go get food before the lines get super long. You want anything?" Bryan asked me.

"No. Guys? You want anything from the food stands?" I asked the other three guys.

They declined and Bryan headed up the stairs quickly after giving me a quick kiss.

"So um… you cool with that? You and Bryan? I know the history." Nathan spoke quietly as he leaned back and elbowed me to get my attention.

"Yeah… I mean, it's Bryan. I'm not stupid. I know that it isn't going to last. He'll go back to college and we'll go back to Tree Hill and I won't hear from him again for a couple years but it'll be fun for tonight, ya know? I need to get laid Nate. I'm dying."

Nathan laughed loudly, making Tim and Lucas look our way. I just shook my head motioning that they didn't want to know what he was laughing at.

"Alright, well, as long as you're not going to be heartbroken at the end of it. I'm just looking out for you." Nathan put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me to his side, "You want to have some sort of secret signal that means I need to kick his ass? We can make one really quick."

This time I laughed.

"No. I'm fine Nate. Thank you though."

Bryan returned just in time for opening tip off. He handed me a hot dog and a soda with a smile.

"I know better than to get myself food and not get you anything. As soon as you smell mine you're going to want something."

"Ooh… you're right." I stared at my hot dog hungrily, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The first quarter of the basketball game was very close. It seemed the two teams went score for score. One team made a basket then so did the other. It was much the same during the second quarter. Lakers score. Knicks score. Lakers score again. Going into halftime the game was tied, 55-55.

"This is so ridiculous! We should be killing the stupid Knicks right now!" I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. All the Knicks fans sitting around us looked at me like they wanted to kill me.

"Relax. It's just a game." Bryan tried to soothe me but I glared at him.

"It's basketball. It is not just a game."

The other guys laughed a little but I knew they agreed with me.

"You wanna take a walk to cool off?" Bryan asked.

I sighed in defeat but nodded.

"Yeah. That'd be good."

We stood and headed up the stairs together. The arena was crowded but it was nice to get up and walk around for a bit. Walking made me realize how tense I was.

"Come here beautiful." Bryan pulled me to him as he found an empty patch of wall to lean against, "You feel a little better now?"

"Yeah." I smiled, "Sorry about that. You know how I get with basketball."

"Yeah, I know." He let his hands come to rest on the small of my back, pressing my body against his, "Forget about basketball for a minute. Tell me what's going on with you."

We talked about the small things for awhile. I told him about life in Tree Hill. He told me about college. The arena around us disappeared and I found myself lost in his words, just staring at him and listening to what he had to say. It was as if we were the only two people in the arena and it didn't matter that people were all around us. I reached up and kissed him, lightly at first, and then deeper, more meaningful.

His hands went to my hips, pulling me against him harder, crushing his lips onto mine. His thumbs rubbed circles on my hip bones and his tongue found its way into my mouth. We probably would have started taking out clothes off had we not been brought out of our daze by the buzzer, signaling that the third quarter was about to begin.

"I miss you." He whispered quietly, his forehead against mine as we stood still, regaining our composure for a minute.

"Don't do that." I shook my head, "We both know that this isn't us getting back together. You're going back to college. I'm going back to Tree Hill. Don't tell me that you miss me. Just let it be what it is ok?"

"Ok." He nodded, pouting a little, "Savannah?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I hurt you… in high school. I shouldn't have…"

I put a finger to his lips, quieting him.

"Just let it be. We're here now."

We joined the other three back at our seats as the action on the court was again getting under way. Nathan was already yelling at the referee's for making a bad call. He explained it to me when I sat down and then I was yelling too. Luckily by the end of the third quarter the Lakers were winning 92-85. Not a huge lead but better than the beginning of the game.

Fourth quarter started well, the Lakers increasing their lead. Every turnover, every foul, every basket was intense. I was biting my nails off which I hadn't done in a long time but it was either the nails or pull my hair out.

"Stop that." Bryan smacked my hand away from my mouth, "You're not supposed to bite your nails?"

"Says who? You?" I brought my hand back to my mouth in defiance and he smacked it down again, "Hey!"

He grinned at me.

"Stop biting your nails. I'd like them long for later." He whispered so only I could hear.

I had no retort. He had me intrigued.

The game ended 111-108. Lakers win.

"Lakers win!" I screamed, hugging Nathan first, then Bryan, followed by Lucas and Tim, "God, that game was tough!"

"Savannah!" I looked towards the court where Luke Walton was smiling up at me.

"You remembered my name?" I yelled back.

"Of course! Here!" He threw me something and I caught it one handed, "What happened to you? I went to watch you last week and BHP said you weren't on the team anymore!"

"I moved to North Carolina!" I yelled back, "Come watch us sometime! Tree Hill Ravens!"

His teamates were yelling at him to head off the court to the locker room and so he smiled and nodded before waving goodbye and running off.

"You know Luke Walton?" Nathan's mouth was hanging open.

"He watched me play a game once. How do you think I got this jersey?" I pointed to the jersey I was wearing, "He gave it to me when he told me I was amazing."

"What'd he give you this time?" Tim asked excitedly.

"Oh." I opened up the cloth that he had thrown to me and smiled at the signed Lakers towel, "To the amazing Savannah, why they hell are you in New York? See you around, Luke."

"That's so sweet." Bryan joked, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Is someone jealous?" I teased him as we headed up the stairs, "Huh?"

"Shut up Savannah." Bryan was trying not to smile.

The five of us talked excitedly about the game all the way back to the hotel and on the way up to our room. It was late but it seemed like the rest of the gang was still out as the whole place was dark.

"Well, they're either sleeping or they're not here." I sighed, "Sleep sounds good to me. I'm actually pretty exhausted."

"I would be too if I woke up everyday like you have to." Nathan hugged me, "Fly back to Tree Hill every morning and still do everything that the rest of us do during the day? Sleep or um…"

He looked over to Bryan and grinned.

"Or don't sleep if you know what I mean."

"Shut up Nathan." I hugged him and then Lucas and Tim too, "Goodnight boys. See you in the morning."

I headed for my room and Bryan followed me after saying a quick goodnight to the other guys. He shut the door behind him and almost immediately I was in his arms, our bodies connected at several crucial points, including our lips.

"You sure this is what you want?" Bryan stopped for a second, just as he was pulling my shirt upwards, "I don't want you to get hurt again."

"This is what I want." I nodded breathlessly, "I won't let you hurt me again."

Bryan's eyes saddened for a second, then he closed them and attacked my lips again, pulling my clothes and his off. He picked me up and tossed me onto the bed, quickly following me and pulling me into his arms, letting his lips roam over my neck and shoulders. His hands caressed my body, lingering in all the right places. His touches had always driven me crazy. He knew exactly what I liked, but I also knew what he liked.

My hands hit his shoulders and shoved him onto his back so that I could crawl on top. There was nothing between us. No clothes. No barriers. No pain. No emotional baggage. This was sex in it's best form, no string attached.

I let myself slip onto him and he groaned loudly when he was inside me. I smiled down at him and used the bedside table to support me so that I could rise up and down, teasing him more than bringing him pleasure. The table wasn't giving me much support and I realized suddenly it was because there was a phone under my hand. I laughed and slid the phone over so that I could use the actual table instead.

"You're killing me Savannah." Bryan growled, "Don't tease me."

"Tease you baby? I'm not teasing you. This is foreplay."

Bryan reached up and grabbed my hips, slamming me down onto his dick and I screamed. He smiled and I laughed, covering my mouth realizing how loud I had been.

"Shh… someone might hear you." He teased, "Just because everyone knows we're having sex doesn't mean you have to be loud."

"True." I giggled and ground my hips against his, pushing him even farther into me while I dug my nails into his chest.

This time it was him who screamed and I laughed.

"Shh! You don't need to be loud."

He grabbed me and flipped me onto my back before I could object and began thrusting in and out of me rapidly. My moans probably could have been heard for miles around but I didn't care. Sex with Bryan had always been amazing but sex with Bryan after I hadn't had sex in months was even more amazing.

We switched positions several times, letting the sex go on for hours. We tried things we had never tried before. We each came multiple times, taking short breaks in between. I hadn't had marathon sex like that for a long time and when it was over, I was completely spent.

"What time is it?" Bryan asked, breathing heavily, laying on his back next to me, my arm draped over him.

"Um…" I sat up and grabbed the phone I had pushed away earlier, "It's 3 am. God, I have to get up in 2 and ½ hours."

I opened the menu on the phone to set the alarm as a backup, even though I knew the concierge would call me as he did every morning.

"Oh shit, this is Nathan's phone." I realized when I accidentally clicked on the outgoing calls menu instead of the tools menu. If it had been my phone it definitely wouldn't have listed the last three outgoing calls to Haley, "I'll give it to him in the morning I guess."

I laid back down, letting my leg entangle with Bryan's and my arm fall over his chest again. My head rested perfectly in the crook of his arm and I sighed.

"When do you have to go back to school?"

"Tomorrow." He sighed too, the sleep in his voice apparent, "I love you Savannah."

I smiled and let sleep take me over too, never actually saying what I wanted to say as a response.

"No you don't."

_**After Chapter Note: So I have the next chapter written and it reveals what was in this chapter that was implied but not stated. That being said, the reveal is huge! It is life altering for the characters! Seriously! But I refuse to post it until someone reviews. BrathanOTHlover rocked my world with her review of the last chapter and that was when I was inspired to finish this chapter, so now, I have to get a review to post. ONE REVIEW IS NOT HARD! Please review. Thanks.  
**_


	23. Chapter 21: Heartbreak and Hangovers

_**Authors Note: Alright, so thank you to xcalisweetthangx for writing a stunning review. For your review I will reward you with a new chapter! It's not as long as the last one but it's huge in reveal! So many of you are going to hate me. I apologize ahead of time. Just know that I do have a plan so keep reading! If I get at least one review I will post the next chapter as soon as it is ready (I'm writing it right now). Also, words in italics are a short flashback. Thanks! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Heartbreak and Hangovers**

**Haley POV**

Tears were running down my face when I set the phone down. Moments ago I had been so excited to see that Nathan was calling me. I hadn't talked to him all day and I missed him. I had almost regretted not taking Savannah up on her offer to take me to New York for the day. I had almost called her and asked her to come get me. So when the phone rang and it said Nathan, I was more excited than I had been in days.

Instead of a happy phone call it was almost immediately earth shattering.

"_Nathan. Baby where have you been all day? I thought you were going to call me this morning."_

_There was no response on the other end of the line._

"_Nathan?"_

"_You're killing me Savannah. Don't tease me." _

_The voices were quiet but the words were unmistakable._

"_Tease you baby? I'm not teasing you. This is foreplay." _

_My worst fear was coming true and yet I couldn't make myself put the phone down. It was pure torture as I knew already, just from the short amount of what I had heard, they were having sex. Nathan and Savannah._

_I heard her scream and felt my heart break. A million pieces of it shattered in my chest and I had to sit down as I began to cry._

"_Shh… someone might hear you. Just because everyone knows we're having sex doesn't mean you have to be loud."_

_Everyone? No, Lucas would call me. He wouldn't let this happen. Brooke and Peyton were my friends. They wouldn't let this happen. _

"_True."_

_I heard Savannah giggle and the tears came faster, more freely. This time it was him who screamed and she laughed, teasing him as he had a few moments before. _

"_Shh! You don't need to be loud."_

_For a few minutes there was nothing but loud moans and the sounds a very happy, carefree couple make when they're making love to one another. It wasn't possible was it? That my friends would all let this happen? They would all know about this and they wouldn't warn me? They wouldn't say something knowing how much I worried everyday that Savannah Carter would be the end of my marriage? Why would Nathan do this to me?_

_I couldn't listen to it anymore. The sounds were too much to take. I hung up the phone and cried. Cried because I knew this was the official end of my marriage. Cried because I felt so betrayed by not only my husband but the people who claimed to be my friends._

_I knew that if I stayed in my room crying for too long, leaving Taylor waiting to finish watching 13 Going On 30 without me she would come looking for me. So I turned the phone off and set it down, wiping the tears from my eyes._

"Taylor! Let's go out!"

"What?" Taylor turned around on the couch, kneeling against the back and staring at me where I stood against the kitchen counter, "You hate going out with me. What happened? You look like you've been crying."

"Nothing happened. I just… I miss Nathan and you keep saying you want to go out because hanging out with the family is so boring all the time. It's just you and me for the rest of the night. Let's go out."

"I'm not objecting at all, because I want to go out, but are you sure about this? Are you sure nothing happened?"

"Let's just get out of here ok? I need to get out of the apartment ASAP."

"Ok." Taylor jumped up and ran over to me, hugging me hard, "I'm so excited. Let's go."

I fought back the tears while Taylor forced me to dress in something she said was sexy which actually meant it was skanky. I forced myself not to cry while she did my hair and makeup. She stopped every once in awhile to ask what was wrong, so I knew she sensed it, but I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell her what I had just heard.

"Ok, come on. I used to go to this place downtown that is super fun. They won't card you and we can get shit faced. What do you say?"

Drunk sounded like a good thing right now. I needed to numb the pain or else I was going to go insane, or jump in front of a truck, or something.

"Let's do it." I agreed.

"Alright, see. Now I know something is wrong with you! Haley! Nathan called and you were so excited and then you come out of the room looking like you were crying and you want to get drunk? That's not like you! I mean, I know we're not exactly close like we were when we were kids but seriously, I know when something is wrong."

She held my shoulders in her arms so that I couldn't look away but I also couldn't tell her what I had heard. It was too hard.

"Haley. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I will go along with this whole cherade of going out, partying, getting drunk. It's fun for me but don't do this with me for the wrong reasons… just tell me what happened. Is it Savannah?"

I nodded.

"And Nathan?"

I nodded again.

"What did he tell you?"

I shook my head.

"Tell me Hales."

"He didn't say anything Taylor. He wasn't on the phone. I don't know if they did it on purpose or maybe it was an accident… they were having sex. I could hear them but they couldn't hear me. I listened for a little while…"

"Oh God Haley…" Taylor hugged me and for a moment we really connected.

For the past few days she had been staying with me and while it was fun, it wasn't like we were close. We still had our differences. She was still the wild child and I was still the good one, but it was nice that she was here for me during the hard times.

"Ok, we can do one of two things. We can go out and drink until we drop. That way you can drown your sorrows. I've done it a million times and it is fun but when you wake up, you'll feel worse, just so you know. Or… we could get on a plan and go kick Savannah's ass. And Nathan's too. What do you say?"

I couldn't even think about facing Nathan and Savannah right now. Especially not in a place I didn't know surrounded by people I trusted who apparently knew about this and still… I couldn't even think about it.

"Let's get drunk. At least my problems will disappear for the night."

Taylor sighed.

"Ok, let's go."

We arrived at an underground bar that I hadn't even known existed. Taylor magically conjoured fake id's for both of us and they let us in, even letting us know that ladies drank free until midnight. Taylor took a glance at the clock and smiled. It was only ten.

"Alright Haley, let's do this."

By midnight I couldn't think, let alone think about Nathan and Savannah. Taylor was laughing loudly with a couple of guys who had approached us about an hour ago. We were currently losing to them badly in a game of pool. Even had we been sober we would have lost. I had no idea how to play pool.

"Natalie, another drink?" One of the guys called out to me. We hadn't given them our real names just in case, although at this point in the night, I wouldn't have cared. It didn't really matter what name he called me. I don't think I even knew my name anymore.

"Yes!" I laughed and Taylor laughed too.

When the two guys had gone for the bar, she came over and jumped up onto the pool table where I was trying to shoot… something into a hole. I didn't remember which one I was aiming for anymore.

"They are really hot but… you're married. So can I have both?"

"I'm not married." I retorted, "I'm not."

"You are." Taylor nodded, "Even if he is a lying, cheating, bitch fucking bastard. Don't fall to his level Haley. Give me both of these guys."

"You're ridiculous." I sighed, "Ok. You can have both. I think I am actually going to step outside and make a phone call, ok?"

"Ok." Taylor was grinning from ear to ear as I headed for the door.

The cool night air outside killed my buzz a little bit, but not enough to kill it completely. The combination of anger, pain, and alcohol was still coursing through my veins. I knew what I needed to do to get Nathan back for what he had done to me. It was a simple fix really.

One phone call was all it took and everything was arranged. It did take a little bit of begging, which I wasn't sure how I pulled off in my current condition, but when I hung up I couldn't take it back.

"Taylor!" I found my sister back inside, sitting on the pool table, while both guys stood in front of her flirting.

She turned around and smiled at me.

"You told me I could have both. Don't go back on that now." She threatened, her smile never faltering.

"No, you can. I'm going back on tour."

"What?" Her smile fell and she pushed the guys away, "Haley, I know you're upset about…"

"No. No. I'm not upset. It hit me, when we were playing pool. I knew what I needed to do. I need to just leave. I mean, I know what I heard right? They can't tell me I'm wrong so, I'll just go. In fact, I've already set it all up. I just talked to the tour manager who worked on the last tour and he said they would love to have me back as long as I was definitely not going to leave the next tour they put me on in the middle of it so I promised. I have to sign a contract when I get there, but that's fine. I leave in the morning. Isn't that exciting?"

"Haley, no!" Taylor seemed to be losing her buzz with every second.

"Yes!" I grinned, "Come on. You need another drink."

I dragged her to the bar and bought several shots for each of us. When they appeared I handed her one and raised mine to toast.

"To my career, far away from Tree Hill." I said and then downed the harsh liquor.

Taylor drank but was still frowning at me. We toasted the next shot.

"To my sister, who is an expert at drowning away sorrows."

She continued to frown as we took shot after shot.

"To my husband, who has successfully driven me to follow my dreams by breaking my heart into a million tiny pieces."

"To Savannah Carter, the biggest whore of Tree Hill."

"To Lucas, and Brooke, and Peyton, who claim to be my friends but can't even give me a heads up when my husband is fucking around behind my back."

"Haley stop." Taylor grabbed the last shots and sighed sadly, "Let's go home."

"No." I objected, "No, we are not going home. You said we could drink until we dropped and right now, I'm still standing. I can still feel the pain so drink Taylor. Drink!"

I shoved another shot at her and motioned for the bartender to pour another round. He raised his eyebrows at me but poured the drinks anyway.

At 2 am they kicked us out of the bar. We had driven down there but we both knew better than to drive home. We were plastered to the point of disaster. Both of us stumbled down the street, stopping finally at Karen's. I had my key to café with me so we let ourselves in, quickly disarming the alarm and collapsing on the only couch in the room.

"I might puke." I admitted, laying my head on Taylor.

"Do it. You'll feel better and then we can drink more." Taylor sighed, "Do it. Do it."

"I can't. Throwing up is gross. Let's just drink more. Where can we get alcohol?"

"Um…" Taylor strained to think, "I don't know. Know anyone who keeps some?"

"Savannah always has alcohol at her house. We'd have to break in but I bet she has tons."

"Let's get a cab."

"Do we have cab service in Tree Hill?"

"I don't know."

Neither Taylor or I made a move to get up. It was hard enough sitting down without the room spinning.

"Let's walk there." Taylor said suddenly, "It's not that far right? Like 5 miles?"

"Something like that." I nodded, "Yeah, we can walk. Let's go."

We had only gone a little ways down the road when we saw a cab and decided it was better to try that route. The cabbie was more than happy to drive us to Savannah's house and we were happy to get there.

"Wait here." I told the driver, "We'll be right back."

We staggered to the door and contemplated how we were going to get in.

"Does she have a spare key anywhere?" Taylor asked, looking around as if we were going to get caught.

"I don't know… I'm sure she does. Look around."

I felt above the ledge of the door and looked in the potted plants nearby. Taylor was inspecting a rock.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"What if it's one of those fake rocks? There could be a key inside."

"It's a real rock Taylor." I rolled my eyes. Even drunk I was smarter than Taylor.

We searched a bit more and then it suddenly dawned on me.

"Duh." I pulled up the welcome mat and there was a shiny key, "Taylor come on."

It was dark but I remembered exactly where the alcohol was, so I was able to locate it pretty quickly. Vodka, rum, wine, tequila. There was a regular party cabinet full of alcohol.

"Grab a couple bottles so we can go. I don't wanna stay here to drink." Taylor said, reaching in and grabbing the tequila, "Come on."

I grabbed the rum and vodka and we headed back to the cab, locking the house behind us.

"You guys can't have that alcohol in my car." The cabbie objected, "Those bottles are open containers."

"Oh, um…" I looked at them closely, "Well, we need a ride to… where are we going Taylor?"

"Your apartment?"

"No, we can't go there. Let's go… I don't know. We can just stay here. It's not like she's coming home tonight."

"True." Taylor sighed, "Ok. Pay the driver."

I paid the cab driver and then we headed back inside, collapsing this time on the couch in her living room. Taylor opened the bottle of tequila and started drinking directly from the bottle, stopping only to offer me some.

I shook my head and opened the rum instead, downing half the bottle in a few swigs.

"Now I really want to throw up." I groaned.

I tried to make it up in time to locate a bathroom, but I didn't make it. Instead I threw up in the front foyer, groaning.

"Haley? Are you ok?" Taylor called out to me.

I couldn't answer as I threw up again.

"Hales?"

"I'm good." I called back, collapsing on the floor a few feet from my own vomit, "I just need to rest for a second. I'll be right there."

A second must have turned into hours because when I woke up, the sun was beginning to rise outside of the open front door. Inside the front door was Savannah, in all her whorish beauty, staring at me and Taylor, who must have joined me at some point. My head was pounding as if it were going to explode. I had never felt this horrible in my entire life.

"Haley, what are you doing in my house?" She asked quietly, "Are you ok?"

She was staring at the pool of vomit on the tile a few feet away.

"I'm peachy." I croaked, not realizing how much my throat hurt, "How are you? Enjoy my husband last night?"

I couldn't really see her face, as the sunlight behind her was blinding me.

"What are you talking about Haley? Is that why you're in my house? You came to find see if you could find proof I was sleeping with him?"

"I don't need to find proof. I heard you."

"You what?"

I didn't want to repeat myself. It was bright. My head was pounding and I could suddenly smell the vomit, which made me nauseated all over again. She had to know what I was talking about.

"You heard us what exactly? I'm confused." Savannah finally shut the door and we were at least no longer bathed in sunlight, although it was bright enough for me to finally make out her face, "Haley? Seriously, what are you talking about?"

"Last night! His phone called me! I don't know if you did it on purpose or if it was an accident but either way, it doesn't matter. I heard you having sex with my husband. I heard you both!"

Savannah was silent for a moment. The look on her face was pure surprise, which I could only take meant she hadn't meant to call me the night before. If I had been able to stand, I would have. I would have slapped her, because that's what I wanted to do now that I was feeling emotions again.

"Haley, I didn't have sex with Nathan. I don't know what you think you heard but Nathan's phone was…"

She stopped and it was almost like a flash of recognition went across her face. She smiled which made the urge to slap her more severe.

"Oh God! I know what you heard! Nathan's phone was in my room and I… I didn't realize it had called anyone. I was having sex with Bryan, Camille's brother. He was in New York to see his dad and we used to… well, that doesn't matter. Haley, I didn't have sex with Nathan. I promise you." She kneeled down next to me and Taylor, "Were you drinking last night? Is that why you're here and there's vomit on my floor? You thought I had sex with Nathan and you were upset right?"

"You did have sex with Nathan. You can lie all you want but I don't believe you." Since she was so close I raised my hand and although it probably didn't connect hard enough, the slap echoed in the room.

Taylor woke up and sat up quickly.

"What happened? What's going… What the hell is she doing here?"

"You're in my house." Savannah said through gritted teeth as she clutched her cheek, "And you're getting out now. Both of you."

She walked to the door and opened it, letting the bright sunlight in again.

"Get out!" She yelled.

"You have no right to be screaming at my sister right now you bitch!" Taylor stood and strode over to Savannah, "You're the one who slept with Nathan last night!"

"I didn't sleep with him!" Savannah yelled back, getting right into Taylor's face, "Now get the fuck out of my house before I call the cops and have you both arrested."

"Threats? You think you can threaten me?" Taylor was back in Savannah's face, "Call the cops whore? Do it."

"Haley, if you heard what I think you heard, I can understand being upset with me. I will forgive the slap because if I believed what you believe, I would hit me too. I did not sleep with Nathan. Call him, or call Lucas, or Peyton, or Brooke! Any of them will tell you that I was with Bryan last night ok? So either call your sister off or else there is going to be more than slapping going on."

"Don't talk to my sister." Taylor pushed Savannah and I watched it happen before I could do anything about it. Savannah punched Taylor directly in the face, causing Taylor to stumble back a few steps. She clutched her nose and I was mortified as she jumped at Savannah, swinging back.

I was still too weak to stand but I yelled at them to stop fighting. Hair was being pulled, punches being thrown and they were both screaming at the other. I wanted to believe her but my instincts told me Savannah was lying. I had never heard of this brother Camille supposedly had. I knew what I heard and no lie from Savannah was going to change that.

I watched Savannah kick Taylor, connecting the bottoms of both her feet against Taylor's chest and Taylor flew backwards, smashing into the wall behind her.

"Taylor!" I found the strength to stand and run to my sister's side, "Taylor, are you ok?"

She was coughing, clearly trying to take a breath, as it must have knocked all the wind from her when she hit the wall. Her nose was dripping blood all over her and all over the floor. Her eye was already turning black from where a punch must have connected.

Standing near the stairs, Savannah was watching us, breathing heavily and nursing her own injuries. It looked like she had a bloody lip and there was blood dripping down her face from a cut that was either on her forehead or on her scalp nearby.

"Haley… I swear to you…"

"No. Stop lying. I know what I heard Savannah. You can just shut up."

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"You are unbelievable! You hear something over the phone that you don't even know anything about and so you break into my house, throw up on my floor, slap me and let you sister start a fight with me and then tell me I'm lying and to shut up? You don't deserve Nathan. You really don't." She just shook her head at me and Taylor who was still trying to catch her breath, "Fine Haley. You can believe what you want to believe. Just believe it somewhere other than my house. Get out."

I helped Taylor to her feet and we headed for the door. Taylor kept her eyes on Savannah the whole time, as if she wanted her to say something else so she could start fighting her again.

"She's not worth it Tay." I whispered to my sister as she limped out the door, "Let's just go ok?"

When we were outside and the door had slammed behind us I remembered that we had arrived via cab and had no way to get home. Taylor was already limping so I knew she wouldn't be able to walk all the way back to my apartment. We were still standing in the driveway trying to figure out how we were going to get home when Savannah emerged from her house again, this time on the phone. She saw us, mumbled something into the phone, and then hung up.

"I thought I told you to go home."

"We're trying." I retorted, "We just… whatever. We're leaving."

I had Taylor hold onto me and together we made it down the driveway to the street.

"Haley!"

I turned around to see Savannah standing at her car.

"Do you need a ride?"

The last thing I wanted to do right now was accept a ride from Savannah Carter, but Taylor was injured, and there was no way we were going to make it back to the house. We didn't know the number of the cab company. We couldn't walk. I considered heading to Nathan's parents house but that would be hard to explain.

"I won't kick your sisters ass again." She yelled to us.

Taylor lunged but I held her back, knowing she wouldn't make it through a second fight.

"It's just a ride. We have no other way to get home ok?"

Taylor reluctantly agreed and we headed for the car. Savannah actually opened the back seat door so that Taylor and I could slide in. She tried to tell me I could sit up front but I closed the door before she could finish her sentence.

The ride to our apartment was silent. I had no reason to talk to Savannah and by now I would hope she could figure out that she had no reason to talk to me. When we arrived Taylor and I left the car without a word and headed up to the apartment.

"Haley!" Savannah called out to me, "Please believe me. Nathan and I would never do anything to hurt you. He loves you!"

"I don't believe you Savannah! I have no reason to believe you!" I yelled back, "And I know what I heard. When you see him, tell him not to bother calling. I'm done!"

"You're gonna regret that Haley!"

I ignored her and went back to helping Taylor up the stairs. We heard her peel out of the parking lot moments later and I was surprised to find myself let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"What if she's telling the truth Haley? What if you do regret this? Why not wait for Nathan to at least try to explain." Taylor pleaded with me.

"It doesn't matter anymore Tay. What's done is done."


	24. Chapter 22: The Fallout and the Fashion

_**Authors Note: So you guys totally rocked my world with the reviews you left, thank you so much! Of course, as promised, here is the next chapter. I'm gonna work on getting one more out tonight so if you guys review again I may be forced to reward you! **_

_**Now, I did want to answer a couple of questions really quick. jamillajo asked in her review why Haley didn't recognize that it wasn't Nathan's voice and also why Haley didn't call Lucas. These are both things that I thought about when writing and so here are the answers. One, Haley could hear the words, but was straining to hear the actual voices on the call. She recognizes it being Savannah because Bryan said Savannah's name, but had Savannah's name not been mentioned, Haley wouldn't have known it was Savannah either because she couldn't hear them that well. Does that make sense? And then for the second question I've actually written the answer into this chapter. **_

_**So if anyone else has any questions or suggestions I'll make sure to answer or make them part of the story. Thanks again everyone! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**The Fallout and the Fashion Show**

**Brooke POV**

Nathan was pacing the entire suite. Lucas was sitting next to me, tapping his foot incessantly against the carpet and redialing Haley's phone every three seconds. Tim and Camille sat quietly on the couch across from me. Peyton sat on my other side and Xander next to her.

"Why isn't she answering?" Lucas threw his phone across the room letting is shatter against the wall and groaning, "This is ridiculous."

Savannah had called Nathan about an hour earlier and that was when this mess had begun. She said that Haley believed she and Nathan had slept together the night before and wouldn't believe otherwise. She said that she had arrived at her house that morning to grab an outfit she wanted to wear tonight that she had forgotten and had found Haley and Taylor passed out on the floor of her foyer, a few feet away from a pool of vomit which she assumed was theirs. She said when Haley realized she was there they exchanged words for a minute, Haley had slapped her, and when she asked them to leave, Taylor had attacked her.

She hadn't gotten any further on the explanation when she said she had to go and the rest of us were wondering what the hell was going on. No one could reach Haley on her cell phone. Nathan and Lucas even tried to call Taylor and Haley's parents phones, but no one was answering.

Savannah had called back to say she would be on her way back to us shortly but we couldn't get ahold of her anymore either.

This left Nathan frustrated, Lucas angry, and the rest of us in limbo.

"I need to get back to Tree Hill right now." Nathan stopped pacing for a second, "I can't wait for Savannah. I just need to get to the airport."

Before any of us could stop him he ran to his room and emerged shortly with his bags.

"Nate!" Savannah was suddenly yelling from somewhere in the suite and Nathan's eyes grew large as he ran to her.

Lucas, Peyton, and I jumped up to follow.

"I don't know what all she heard. I remember hitting your phone and then at like 2 am I looked at the phone and realized it was yours. I don't know how I called her but she heard something and she assumed it was you and me because it was from your phone I guess. I couldn't talk to her. She refused to believe a word I said. I… I don't know what to do. I made sure she got home safe. I took her home myself even though Taylor had just tried to kill me and… she still wouldn't listen Nate. I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

Nathan held Savannah as she began to cry.

"Did you try to call her?" She asked through her tears.

"A million times." Nathan responded, "So did Lucas and Brooke and Peyton… we've all tried. She won't answer."

"I don't know how to fix this. I tried. I mean, it's my fault. I didn't realize that I hit the button to call her though. I promise you I didn't!"

"I know." Nathan nodded, wiping away Savannah's tears, "Stop crying ok. Can you get me home? I need to see Haley and explain myself ok?"

"Ok. Yeah, the plane is still at the airport."

I wanted to laugh because duh, where else would the plane be, but I didn't. It was almost too tense in the room to even speak. None of us could believe this was happening, but at the same time, we didn't really know what was happening. All we knew was that there was trouble in Naley-dise.

"I want to go too." Lucas said, "If she's upset, I'm her best friend. She needs me."

Nathan nodded and before the rest of us could object, the three of them had left again, leaving us to continue waiting.

"This is so fucked up." Peyton sighed, the two of us still standing in the front room of the suite, "What happened? I still don't get it."

"It sounds like Nate's phone was in Savannah's room and she hit it while she was screwing Bryan and Haley heard it and assumed it was Nathan and Savannah." I shrugged, "My guess based on what they've said."

"It doesn't make sense." Peyton shrugged back, "Come on. Let's go see if Xander will take us to breakfast so we don't have to be stuck in this hotel waiting for answers."

Xander was willing to take us to breakfast so him, Peyton, Tim, Camille and I headed out just a few minutes later. We found a small breakfast place nearby and sat inside to eat. For the most part we were all pretty quiet as we ate. It was the intensity of it all that made me stop talking. It was not knowing what was really going on, or what would be the outcome, or if I could do anything to help.

"This is probably really inappropriate so I apologize before I say it, but how retarded is Haley that she won't even listen when someone tells her that she didn't hear what she thinks she heard?" Camille rolled her eyes, "Even if Nathan and Savannah did sleep together, it would be because of her. The way she is crazy jealous would drive any man to cheat and I for one wouldn't blame him."

"You're right Cammie. That is seriously inappropriate." Xander said before Peyton or I could respond, "Cheating is never ok and think about how you would feel if you saw that Tim was calling you and when you answered, instead of getting to talk to your boyfriend, you hear someone having sex on the other end. Imagine that feeling and then multiply that by 100 because Nathan is not Haley's boyfriend, he is her husband. That should give you a pretty accurate guage on how Haley is feeling right now."

I wanted to thank him for defending Haley but part of me agreed that her jealousy was going overboard. I would have never said it to her but I had always sort of felt that way.

When we had finished eating but still hadn't heard from Savannah, Nathan, or Lucas we decided to buy ourselves some more time by going to Times Square and shopping our worries away. It was a nice distraction, watching the other tourists who acted more like tourists than we did. We bought some stuff at the different stores and it was just when we were headed into the Hershey's store that my cell phone rang.

"Luke?"

"Hey." He sounded defeated.

"What's going on? Where are you?"

"We are headed back to the airport to head back to New York. Um… Haley's gone." Lucas almost sounded like he was going to cry. I felt the tears welling up in my own eyes.

"What?"

"We got here too late. All her stuff is gone from the apartment. Taylor is with her parents but she won't tell us anything. Her parents don't even know anything. All they know is that they helped her put her stuff in storage but have no clue where she was going." He sighed, "Nathan's really upset but we convinced him to come back with us because we didn't want him staying in the apartment by himself."

"It's so un-Haley like. Just running away?"

"Actually, it's pretty Haley-like. I just… I thought we would catch her. I definitely didn't think she would skip town. I gotta go pretty girl. We'll be there in about an hour ok?"

"Ok. I love you."

"I love you too."

When I hung up I told the rest of the group what was going on. Camille didn't react much but Peyton sighed, clutching to Xander who held her and kissed her head. Tim seemed sad and was, for once in his life, speechless.

"Is Nathan ok?" Peyton was the first to ask.

"Lucas said he's really upset. I don't know exactly how bad he is." I felt like screaming to clear my frustration but with so many people around I figured it would be a bad idea, "Let's just go back to the hotel so we can wait for them ok?"

When we got back to the hotel suite we all collapsed on the couches as we had been earlier and just sat, waiting. When we finally heard the door open and shut, I was the first one to jump up and go to them.

Savannah was already heading to Nathan's room with him. He was slumped over, defeated, and clearly sad. Lucas watched them and then pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head and clutching me as if he thought I might leave next.

"How is he?" Peyton asked when she joined us.

"Horrible. I've never seen him break down like he did this time. He got angry the first time Haley left. This time I think his heart is just shattered." Lucas sighed, "I still don't know what she heard but it had to be bad for her to take off this way. I know she has to be hurting too but the way he broke… it almost broke my heart too."

"Were you able to talk to her? Call her? At all?"

"No. She's not answering. It's like she's mad at me too but I can't figure out for what. It's so frustrating!"

We heard something break in Nathan's room and we cringed.

"I think I'd rather him be angry." I sighed, "When he's sad it's like there's nothing we can do."

Xander joined us in the front room, his phone blinking in his hand.

"We um, we don't have much planned for the day so we can all stay here and try to help him through this or we can get out and take our mind off things. What would you guys like to do?"

Peyton sighed. Lucas shrugged. I pouted. I was still formulating an answer when Savannah emerged from Nathan's room. Her lip was swollen and so was her eyebrow, injuries I hadn't noticed when she came in earlier.

"Oh my God, did Nathan hit you?" I ran to her and she managed to laugh.

"No. Taylor and I got into a fight earlier." She touched her lip and winced, "I know everyone says this after a fight but seriously, you should see her. She's much worse."

I wanted to laugh but the sentiment seemed weird in this moment.

"First, how's Nate? And then second, can you please tell me exactly what happened? I'm still so confused."

Savannah nodded and led us into the living room where she sat down, joining Camille and Tim who were still sitting there.

"Nathan is getting angry, which I prefer over sad actually." Savannah stated.

"Me too." I quipped then shut up but she smiled at me slightly.

"Um, the breaking you guys probably heard was him throwing the lamp, which we'll pay for, so no big deal. Um… he's gonna need a lot of healing time. So no, he's not doing great, but I think he's gonna be ok. He does not want to go back to the apartment at all, so I told him he can move into my house."

"Savannah, I don't know about that…" Lucas started.

"Luke, I know what you're going to say. If Haley comes home and he's living there it might make things worse and I understand why you would be concerned but I'm telling you now, their marriage is not coming back from this. Maybe, if she had stuck around long enough, she could have forgiven him for the cheating she thinks he did, but he won't forgive her leaving this time. He's not going to and I can tell you that with 100 guarantee."

"Savannah, they've come back from this before. He shouldn't live with you…" Lucas objected again.

"Lucas, exactly. They've come back from this before. Leave him once and he can forgive. Leave him twice and it's done. He just told me that even if she comes back this time he can't forgive her and I don't blame him! She left him for something he didn't even do!" Savannah sighed, "Look, the point is that she's gone and he's bitter and he can't afford to live in that apartment on his own so he's moving in with me because I have room. Camille? You live there too. Are you cool with that?"

Camille nodded silently.

"So then Brooke, here's what really happened." Savannah began to explain her side of the whole thing from having sex with Bryan the night before and not realizing that she had called Haley to going home this morning before her drug test and finding Haley then fighting Taylor then giving them a ride home and rushing back here.

"So wait, did you take your drug test this morning?" Lucas asked suddenly, realizing for the first time that her story didn't include making it to her mandatory drug test.

Savannah shook her head no and sighed.

"There were more important things." Savannah let her head fall.

"So are you gonna get kicked off the team?" I asked hesitantly.

Savannah nodded.

"This sucks!" Lucas yelled, surprising all of us. I jumped and so did Camille.

Savannah looked like she was going to cry.

"What sucks?" Nathan suddenly joined us and everyone fell silent, "Luke?"

"Nothing, he was just saying everything in general sucks." Savannah smiled at Nathan and gave us all a stern look telling us not to say a word to Nathan about her missing the drug test, "Come sit with me buddy."

Nathan joined her on the couch, letting her wrap her arms around him and hold him comfortably. His arm fell across her shoulders and they relaxed.

"Let's um… let's not let this kill our day okay?" Nathan suggested, "I know it was a lot for everyone to take in and I know you're all worried about me but we have plans for today and we are still on vacation so let's do what we planned to do today. Fashion show tonight right?"

We all looked around at each other uneasily, not sure if we should go along with Nathan's plan. He seemed to be going through all the stages of grief very quickly. Anger, denial, depression, acceptance… he was missing one but I couldn't remember what it was.

"I think it's a good idea." Savannah looked directly into Nathan's eyes, "Are you sure though?"

"I'm sure. What good is it for all of us to be moping? Haley left and when she did that she sort of left all of us, so, let's just move on. We can all move on together."

"Nathan…" Lucas started to talk and I knew he was going to object to Nathan giving up on Haley so easily.

"Don't Lucas. I'm done." Nathan just shrugged, "Let's just get out of here before I go crazy."

"And break another lamp." Savannah teased.

Lucas and I headed for our room as everyone else went to theirs, readying themselves to continue on with the rest of the plans for the day. It was already around 4 pm and we had to be at the fashion show by 5:30. I knew Lucas was stressing about the whole Nathan and Haley situation so before I went to shower, I asked him if he wanted to talk about it.

"It's not right Brooke. It's not ok for him to give up on her like that. Just throw it all away so easily?"

"Lucas…" I sighed, because I had mixed feelings on the situation but I didn't want to upset him, "baby, she kind of gave up on him first. She left with no warning. She didn't even call or ask him for an explanation. I know Haley is your best friend and she's my friend too, but cut Nathan some slack. At least he is giving up after he knows the whole story."

"Oh, so let's just all jump on the bandwagon that Haley's not hurting too? Obviously Haley is hurting Brooke or she wouldn't have done something like this! She's our friend! We should be there for her!"

"She won't let us!" I countered, getting a little more heated about the subject than I meant to, "She left Lucas and she won't answer our phone calls! Nathan's right when he says she left all of us. She walked out on you, and me, and Peyton today too."

"We should have never come on this trip. We should have known it wasn't right to leave our friend at home while we all came out here like we don't have families at home to spend the holiday's with. We should have supported Haley sooner so that she knew we would always be there for her. Looking at it from her point of view, I can see how she would feel Nathan and Savannah are too close. Didn't you see how she just wrapped herself on him?"

"Lucas, do not do that. Don't go against Savannah and Nathan just because Haley is your best friend. Because Haley is your best friend you should understand the friendship Savannah and Nathan have. I don't freak out when you hug Haley. I don't go into jealous rages when she's alone with you in your bedroom or if you two want to have a friends night out. Why? Because I trust you! And I have reason not to trust you Lucas. You have cheated on me but I still trust you now! That's a little backward don't you think?"

"It's not the same. Haley and I have know each other forever. Savannah and Nathan have only known each other since the beginning of summer!"

"Mmmhmm… how long did you know Savannah before you started sleeping with her?"

"Brooke, that is not the point here."

"No, it is the point!" I was yelling now, unaware until this point how passionately I felt about the situation at hand, "Savannah paid for us to come on this amazing trip. She has been nothing but a good friend to all of us. To you. To me. To Nathan! Even to Haley! She's not the one in the wrong here and neither is Nathan. He's hurting and he deserves to deal with his pain however he wants to. So if that means he's giving up on Haley right now, I support him and you, as his brother, should also give him that support. Quit being a fucking hypocrite Lucas!"

I stormed into our bathroom, slamming the door behind me, locking it, and immediately turning on the water for the shower so that I couldn't even hear it when Lucas came to the door, pleading with me to open it.

As the water ran over me I couldn't believe that I had yelled at Lucas like that. It suddenly hit me how heated our argument had gotten over something that only semi-involved us and yet we were at two totally different sides of the spectrum regarding the subject. He would protect Haley no matter what and I saw myself being more realistic with the entire situation.

I took my time in the shower, although with our current timeline I knew I should have hurried a little more. I wasn't looking forward to facing Lucas though.

Wrapped only in my towel I dared to emerge from the bathroom and found Lucas sitting on the bed dejectedly, his head resting in his hands.

"Hey Broody." I sat down next to him and let the hand that wasn't holding my towel rest on his back, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I deserved it." He sighed, "I'm sorry I freaked out. I'm just so… confused. I know Haley's wrong for doing what she did, but she's my best friend Brooke. How can I not support her?"

I smiled slightly.

"Just because you are supporting Nathan in his recovery from her smashing his heart this morning does not mean you aren't supporting Haley too. When she's ready to talk, you'll be there for her and I will support you being there for her because she is your best friend and she needs you."

"She only smashed his heart because she thought he was doing something which smashed hers." Lucas countered lightly.

"Ok Luke, let's not go there again." I laughed and he pulled me into his arms.

"I love you." He sighed.

"I love you too." Kissing him lightly I stood and headed for my clothes which were hanging in our hotel closet, "Now, what do I wear to the Victoria's Secret fabulous fashion show?"

"I think what you're wearing is perfect." Lucas stood behind me kissing my bare shoulders.

"Mmm…" I loved when he kissed me, especially just after I had gotten out of the shower when my senses were heightened, "If we didn't need to leave in like ten minutes I would totally jump you right now."

"Yeah. I better leave the room or else I'm gonna jump you." Lucas kissed me one more time and then headed for the door, smiling back at me, "See you out there."

Since I didn't have a lot of time I threw on a long sleeve black sequined dress which fell just above my knees with black and white heels. I ran into the bathroom quickly taming my hair with some gel and a blow dryer. I grabbed a small black purse and accessorized with simple pearl earrings before I headed out to the front room where everyone else was already gathered.

Savannah had also decided to wear black, hers a sleeveless a-line dress that fell to her knees. She held a small black jacket which I assumed she would throw on if it was too cold outside. Her makeup even managed to cover the bruises forming from her earlier altercation.

Camille was dressed in the same style dress as Savannah, although her dress was a bright yellow and was belted at her waist.

Peyton blended with Savannah and I in her black dress. She wore long sleeves like me but her dress was styled in an old fashioned way, very lacy at the wrists and her top. It wasn't until further inspection that I realized the lace was see through and you could completely make out her black bra through her top.

The guys were all wearing black suits with white shirts and black ties. It was probably just my personal opinion that Lucas's looked better than the rest.

"Ok, sorry. I'm ready." I was the last one to join so I knew I was the one holding up the process.

We all headed downstairs to the waiting limo which we quickly got in and headed off to the show.

"Just so you guys know, we do have to walk the pink carpet. Not that anyone is going to know who we are, so there won't be a ton of flashes and people aren't going to ask to interview us, but we have to walk it to get in. Not a lot of civilians get to go to this show so they don't really set up an alternate entrance." Savannah explained.

"The pink carpet?" I squeaked, "Why did you not tell us this earlier? I would have gotten more dressed up."

"You look great." Savannah shrugged it off, "Relax Brooke. Like I said, no one's going to take our pictures. We just have to walk through to get inside."

I was reassured for a moment until we arrived and saw what the pink carpet actually looked like. Sure, I watched the red carpet on TV for the award shows and I'd seen pictures, but it was so much more intimidating in person. Cameras were flashing incessantly and the whole area was lit up by those lights you see on football fields that light up for games.

Our limo currently sat in a line of limos, waiting to drop off the people inside them.

"So, just walk. That's all you have to do." Savannah assured us.

We watched as the celebrities ahead of us exited their limos and headed down the pink carpet, the flashes of all the photographers cameras blinking at high speed. We were next and I almost freaked when I saw supermodel Gisele Bundchen exit the limo in front of us.

"Oh my God, I can't walk down the pink carpet behind Gisele. She is amazing!"

"Relax Brooke, we'll be fine. If anyone asks, just pretend like you're famous. You designed the dress you're wearing right?" Savannah questioned.

I was surprised she had noticed. I had indeed made my own dress. It was one of a few designs I had made lately and was thinking about selling.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Alright so if anyone asks, you're an up and coming clothing designer. Tell them your name and the name of your line. What are you going to call your line or is it just your name?"

I had actually been thinking a lot about what to call my line. Brooke Davis wasn't flashy enough. Just Brooke or Just Davis wasn't even close to flashy enough. The only name I thought wasn't half bad was Clothes Over Bros but that still sounded weird in my head.

"Um… I thought about Clothes Over Bros."

Peyton immediately started laughing and I knew it was because she recognize our slogan. Hoes over Bros was something we had been saying since we had started liking boys around the age of 10.

"That is genius." Savannah laughed, "There you go. You are an up and coming fashion designer with a new clothing label called Clothes Over Bros. You are wearing your own design and be fabulous. You're dating a successful basketball player, Lucas Scott and go with it. Pretend like life couldn't be better and definitely don't tell them you're in high school. By the time they figure it out when they go to edit the footage into Entertainment Tonight you'll already be back in Tree Hill feeling fabulous!"

The limo door opened just as Savannah finished her speech and she winked at me before stepping out of the limo, Nathan following right behind her. Camille and Tim stepped out next followed by Peyton and Xander. Lucas and I were last.

"You're going to be fine." Lucas kissed me softly, "Go with the story Savannah just fabricated. It's gonna come true eventually."

The group of us were stopped at the beginning of the pink carpet where Savannah had to show security our tickets so that they knew we were actually supposed to be here. I didn't blame the security guard for asking either. None of us were really celebrities.

The second we stepped onto the pink carpet the flashes of the cameras started and it took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the light. Savannah and Camille posed as if they had been doing this their whole life. As if they were meant to be there. At one point they were even asked to pose with Gisele which they did, happily, and it looked natural.

Peyton must have noticed how uncomfortable I was because she grabbed me to take a picture with her and we too, ended up posing for the photographers. Suddenly I realized it wasn't so bad and for the rest of the way down the carpet, it almost did feel right. It almost felt normal.

"That was amazing." I was on a high as we headed into the tent, jumping up and down, "Seriously, the coolest thing ever."

"And now we get to watch the actual show." Savannah laughed as we all took our seats.

The seats weren't right on the runway, and rightly so, as we knew all the fashion designers and celbrities got the runway seats so that they could critique. We had a fabulous view of the end of the runway from where we were sitting though and I was so excited for the show to start.

"This is probably the only time we'll be able to watch hot girls in lingerie walking down a runway and not get in trouble for it." Lucas commented, "We should enjoy it."

"Yes we should." Xander smiled.

Peyton and I scoffed but then she laughed and just kissed Xander.

"As long as you are aware that I'm the one in the bed when we get home." She stated simply.

"I'm aware." Xander nodded, "That's the best part of the night."

The show started with huge screens on either side of the runway looking like red speakers pounding to the beat of Justin Timberlake's 'Sexy Back'. In between the speakers were what looked like shadow boxes, each of them with a girl in them, some with the word sexy in lights behind them. The lights and the boxes changed color with the beat, each girl dancing provocatively in their box. I was so excited already I could barely breathe.

Pyrotechnics masked the entrance of Justin Timberlake, coming up through an elevator from under the runway. He walked down the runway, dancing and starting to sing the song. I squeezed Lucas hand and he smiled over at me, dropping a small kiss on my cheek. Three seconds into the show and I was already hyperventilating.

Gisele started the show, strutting her stuff on the runway in all gold with massive feathery wings behind her. As she walked past Justin I noticed him check out her butt and I couldn't help but laugh. Sure, the girls were wearing lingerie but to actually check them out, it was pretty funny.

Alessandra Ambrosio followed Gisele, staying in the family of being covered with gold, her corset cinched her together in a perfect little package. Perfect for Justin anyway as he walked behind her on the runway playing up to her playful personality.

Isabel Goulart followed, also in gold, in something that sort of reminded me of a Tarzan & Jane meets ancient Egypt ensemble. At the end of the runway she smiled and rolled her shoulder, sort of flirting with the cameras.

A few models followed who I didn't recognize but all of which looked fabulous in the metallic fantastical creations that always appeared in the Victoria's Secret runway show. It never ceased to amaze me how they could design this show around lingerie, bras, and underwear and yet make it so amazingly fantastic.

The model who finished the song and that segment of the show was wearing tiny gold panties, a gold bra, and humongous gold wings. She gave a smirk at the end of the runway. As she walked off the stage Justin headed back down the runway singing the last line of the song and told the audience to make some noise. The eight of us were definitely making noise, screaming and clapping happily.

So much happened just in the opening segment I couldn't wait to see more. Every new segment was just as big as the next with the lighting and the music blaring. The girls walking down the runway, strutting so gracefully in anything they were put it. It didn't matter if it was wings or corsets or trailing skirts… everything was so beautiful, it was mesmerizing.

One of the segments was the sexy flight attendants and even though the first models shoe came right off her foot, she never even missed a step. She just kept walking and that was amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Every girl during the entire segment was just so cute in their fantasy flight outfits, some wearing life vests, some wearing seatbelts. I loved every moment of it. I couldn't help but smile when at the end the voice came over the speakers thanking the crowd for flying Victoria's Secret airways.

I looked over at the other three girls who were also smiling and having a good time. Even Nathan was managing to smile and I knew then that we had made the right choice by coming out tonight instead of staying in.

The Victoria's Secret Pink segment was bright with crazy music and a huge Pink dog on the stage where the girls came walking out of. The girls were all flirty, covered in multiple colors with various props and they all seemed to be having a great time on the catwalk. My favorite outfit from this segment was a corset and bra combo made to look like an old fashioned popcorn bag and the girl wearing it stopped at the end of the runway to sip from her diamond encrusted soda bottle.

They brought Justin Timberlake out for the next segment, this time starting acoustic with a couple of guitar players on the runway behind him. He sang 'My Love' slow at first, with very heartfelt falsetto tones. He walked around a little bit and then as expected the music paused and then sped up a bit, going into the song we all know and hear on the radio with it's DJ beats and the lights on the stage began flashing to match. The screens at the back of the stage opened to reveal a live band and Justin met with his dancers, continuing the song with the choreographed moves.

When 'My Love' ended Justin went straight into 'Lovestoned' still dancing with his dancers and putting on a show.

"Who knew it was a fashion show and concert in one huh?" Savannah yelled over to me and all of us laughed.

The lights fell as soon as 'Lovestoned' was over, signaling to the crowd the next segment was about to start. A guy playing the bagpipes emerged at the end of the runway and a large logo appeared on the screen in the back. It looked old fashioned, like a family insignia of someone from Ireland or Scotland. The crowd began to clap in time with the beat as we all waited for what was to come, none of us really knowing what to expect.

When the screens parted the set had changed into stone colums with smoke covering the floor like a misty night. The lights tinted everything blue and the whole audience clapped when Gisele emerged, walking the runway in plaid lingerie, a long train trailing behind her. The next models followed closely after, their plaid color coordinated with their lingerie as well. The music was almost haunting but fit perfectly with their silhouettes. The segment finished with Isabel Goulart and I had to laugh when one of her wings almost knocked out the model who had gone before her.

For the last segment they brought back the silhoutte boxes from the first segment only this time they were lit up in blue and a choir was standing in them. The gospel music filled the air and the segment started with a model emerging from behind the boxes in the six million dollar diamond studded bra. Each girl came out in white or silver, transforming the whole tent into a winter wonderland with almost whimsical outfits. There were a lot of wings and feathers, jackets, fur and plenty of sparkle. And as the show continued it began to snow on us, fake snow of course, but it was still snow that rained down on our heads and it was beautiful. It ended with an angel coming from above our heads, landing on the runway and just as she turned around to face us, the digital screens closed and turned from the blue they had been to black and the VS logo took over the screen.

"I'm kind of sad it's almost over." I pouted to Lucas who laughed and kissed me.

"Don't be sad. You had fun right?"

I nodded vigorously and then turned my attention back to the runway.

The finale where all the girls came out and walked the runway together was set to 'Sexy Back" and the red lights flashed with the choir still in the backgroud. Each model came down the runway and then walked back, forming a line in the background where they all stood together across the stage.

When the screens had closed on the models the house lights came up and I knew it was done.

"That was amazing!" Camille exclaimed, "Oh my God!"

"That was so cool." Savannah was grinning from ear to ear, "Brooke, did you like it?"

"I loved it! I want to do it again and again. Let's rewind and watching it from the beginning."

Everyone laughed and we gathered our stuff, heading out of the tent to where we would be able to locate our limo and go back to the hotel.

"I'm starving." Savannah admitted when we finally got into our limo, "Let's go eat something."

"Do we know of anything around here?" Camille asked.

It took us awhile to figure out where we wanted to go but eventually we just found a Denny's and went there.

"Yummy. Grand slam breakfast." Savannah laughed just before her cell phone started ringing.

She looked at the phone and her eye's actually lit up for a second and then she answered it.

"Hey sexy, you make it back to Chapel Hill?"

The rest of us all looked at each other and nodded.

"It's Bryan." Camille voiced for all of us.

The waitress took our drink orders and left us to look at the menu while Savannah still talked quietly on the cell phone. She was smiling and laughing and for a second I completely forgot that just a few hours earlier we had witnessed the demise of Nathan and Haley's marriage. I was reminded only a few minutes later when Lucas's cell phone rang too.

"It's Haley." He said simply and the whole table went quiet, "Hello?"

Lucas stood up from the table and left the restaurant with his phone. I looked over at Nathan whose face had gone from lively to ashen. He looked miserable.

"It's gonna be ok Nate." I reached across the table and took his hand in mine reassuringly, "You still have all of us."

Savannah whispered a quick goodbye to Bryan and then shoved her phone back into her purse, scooting her chair closer to Nathan and moving to rub his back.

"You ok?" She asked and he nodded.

"We were having a good time." Nathan said simply, "Let's not let her ruin this ok? I'm fine. Let's just, figure out what we're eating."

Lucas returned a few minutes later, off the phone, and he took his seat next to me, not saying a word to the rest of us. We were all quiet but no one wanted to push Lucas to talk about his phone call.

The waitress returned with our drinks and took our food order, leaving us then with only each other for distraction.

"I don't want to go home tomorrow." Savannah finally spoke, "Let's stay in New York forever."

"I second that." Camille agreed.

"Me too." I raised my glass and everyone else sort of followed in a mock toast, "Here's to a great vacation in New York where we had fun, did things that we've never done before, took in some amazing entertainment, and grew closer as friends."

"To New York, where we've witnessed some dreams coming true." Lucas added, looking to Peyton who was clearly thinking of her gallery art show and Camille who was still soaring from landing a modeling agent.

We all clinked our glasses together and took a sip of our various drinks, letting the silence envelop us for a second.

"At least we still have basketball when we get home." Nathan said suddenly, "Even with all the bullshit we can put our frustration into the game."

All eyes went to Savannah who just sat silently, sipping her soda.

When Nathan realized no one was saying anything he looked up from where he had been picking at the tablecloth and saw us all staring at Savannah.

"What? Why is everyone so quiet?" He frowned at us and turned to Savannah, "Why are they all looking at you like that?"

"Um Nate… well, it's basketball. I'm uh… I'm not going to be able to play." She confessed, watching his expression go from puzzled to surprised, "I missed my drug test this morning."

"Why?" He asked angrily, "Because of Haley? Because of what happened this morning?"

"For a lot of reasons." Savannah replied quietly, "I um, I got sidetracked by Haley obviously and then, I couldn't just leave her and Taylor standing in the driveway. Taylor could barely walk and so I took them home and I wanted to get back here so that I could get you back there to try to explain and in all of it I just kind of… forgot. It's my fault. I could have taken it before I went to the house but I decided to go to the house first and well… it's all history from there."

Nathan was speechless and thre rest of us just sat watching and waiting for a reaction.

"You should have left her standing in the driveway. She didn't deserve you driving her home." Nathan turned back to the tablecloth, picking away at it, "You shouldn't have to miss out on basketball for her."

"I made the choice Nate. It was more important to me to try and get you back to her and save your marriage than it was to make it to that drug test this morning. It's not Haley's fault. I made the choice. And really, this whole thing is my fault. I called her last night and it was me she heard. You lost your wife because of me. Basketball is a small price for me to pay."

"You are not the reason she left." Nathan turned back to Savannah and stared at her intensely, "Listen to me. Do not blame yourself for this ok? If you made the choice to miss your drug test this morning than she certainly made the choice to skip town without an explanation. I lost her because she made a choice. It was not your fault."

Savannah began to cry and my heart broke with her as I could see it was eating away at her. She was blaming herself for the whole situation and no matter what façade she put up on the outside, her heart was breaking right along with Nathan's.

"Come here." Nathan pulled her chair up next to his and held her while she cried, "Please don't cry. It's not your fault Savannah, ok? We'll talk to whoever we need to. We'll get you back on the team."

It almost seemed like an invasion of privacy for us to be witnessing this moment between Nathan and Savannah. This time when Nathan was so fragile and Savannah was blaming herself for his unhappiness.

"Enjoy dinner ok? Don't let this bother you." Nathan pulled Savannah back and made her look him directly in the eyes, "Stop crying. Everything will be fine."

He kissed her forehead and she wiped her tears away although she was still sniffling a little bit.

"Come on. We'll go to the bathroom so you can clean up." I stood and offered my hand to Savannah as I came around to her chair.

She smiled up and me and took my hand, letting me lead her to the bathroom of the restaurant. Camille and Peyton followed closed behind.

"This whole thing is so fucked up." Savannah cursed as the four of us stood side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, "And look, here I am being a big crybaby and Nathan's comforting me when he's the one hurting. His life would have been so much better if I had never entered it."

"Stop that." Peyton demanded, "That is not true at all. If you had never come around, Nathan and Haley may not have made it through the first time she left him. Remember? It was you who got them to make up at your party at the beginning of the summer?"

I didn't know what she was talking about but I nodded along with it anyway.

"Nathan went off to High Fliers having made up with Haley and he came back and wanted them again. Before you got here he wanted nothing to do with her. He was already heartbroken."

"They would have made up with out me." Savannah countered, "He wanted to make up with her he just didn't know how."

"And you gave him the opportunity." Peyton argued back, "Don't beat yourself up Savannah. The only person to blame here is Haley. We're all her friends too and we understand that in her head, she feels betrayed because she thinks something happened between you and Nathan, but she also didn't stick around for an explanation."

"I tried to tell her. She wouldn't listen to me." Savannah sighed, applying the final touches of her mascara to fix her makeup, "I just… I never meant for this to happen. I care too much about Nathan to ever deliberately break up his marriage."

"We all know that." I told her, "Look, if she can give up on them that easily, then that's her problem. You're still here. We're still here. Nathan's still here. And we're all going to recover but Haley is going to have to live with her choice for the rest of her life. We know you care about Nathan. You're like, his saving grace right now. He probably wouldn't still be standing right now if it wasn't for you."

"I'll point out again that she wouldn't have left if it wasn't for me, but I'm sure you guys have some comeback." Savannah laughed, "Thanks you guys. It means a lot for you to try and cheer me up."

"We're cheerleaders. It's our job to cheer." Camille joked and we all burst into laughter.

"Let's get back out there."

The four of us walked arm in arm back to the table where the guys were sitting quietly. Our food arrived pretty soon after and we all ate peacefully. No one really talked but none of us were pouting either. The whole table was momentarily at peace.

"Alright, so it's our last night in New York. We're young. We're hot. I say instead of going back to the hotel and sleeping or doing what we would be doing at home on a night like this, let's party huh? Let's go dance until the sun comes up. Celebrate being us." Savannah announced when the bill was dropped off at the table, "What do you guys say? Tomorrow we go back to our real lives but tonight we just have fun?"

"I'm in." Nathan was the first to volunteer, smiling over at Savannah.

"Yeah, let's do it." Camille grinned happily, "One last night."

"Whatever, I'm just along for the ride anyway." Xander tried to be cool but he smiled at Peyton who kissed him and nodded that she was in too.

"Luke?" I turned to Lucas who had been very quiet during the entire meal.

He sighed and nodded, kissing me softly.

"I'm in."

"Alright, so let me pay this bill. Xander, you need to find us a place where we can get in and then we are out of here people." Savannah headed for the cash register with Nathan right behind her.

As we all gathered our things and headed for the car, I pulled Lucas so that he slowed and we were left at the back of the pack.

"What did Haley say?" I asked him.

He looked to make sure everyone else was far away enough so that they wouldn't hear him.

"She went back on tour." He said simply and he was clearly disappointed, "She didn't answer the phone when we all were calling her because she said she felt betrayed. Apparently one of the things she heard on the phone call was something about everyone knowing they were screwing and since she assumed it was Savannah and Nathan having sex she figured we all knew about it and hadn't told her."

"That's ridiculous. If that had been the case, of course we would have told her." I was appalled by even the though, "So she just left to go back on tour?"

"She and Taylor got trashed at a bar last night. When the bar closed they wanted more alcohol and that's when they broke into Savannah's house. She said they hadn't meant to stay there but they must have passed out and then this morning when Savannah got there, well, we know the story from that point."

"Oh my God." I couldn't believe this was a story about Haley. The whole thing was so out of character for her, "So, you told her it wasn't Savannah and Nathan right? I mean, you told her that we all were 100 sure that Savannah was sleeping with Bryan last night?"

"Yeah, I told her. She already signed a contract to tour and apparently the record execs were so excited that she had decided to come back they've already signed her to a major label too, so she couldn't even come home if she wanted to." Lucas sighed, "Which is probably for the better anyway. Savannah's right. Nathan will never forgive her for this."

"All because of a stupid missunderstanding." I sighed.

"You two coming?" Savannah called to us from the limo.

Lucas nodded and took a deep breath, entwining my hand with his.

"Don't say anything to anyone ok? At least not until we get back to Tree Hill."

"Of course baby." I smiled feebly up at him and we joined the rest of the group in the limo.

"Alright!" Savannah yelled loudly, "Party time!"


	25. Chapter 23: Basketball Goes On

_**Author's Note: Huge thanks to xcalisweetthangx, brathanothlover, jamillajo, kelly05, and Confuzzled2011 for reviewing over the weekend and keeping me motivated to write. This chapter is semi-sort of filler so I'm not sure if it lives up to the standards of the other chapters, but there are a few key points in here, so read anyway, lol. As always, I love your reviews and if you have any questions or suggestions, I will answer and/or include them in the story! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Basketball Goes On…**

**Camille POV**

"Savannah, Nathan, Tim! We're gonna be late for the game!"

I tapped my foot impatiently in the foyer as I waited for the other three to finish getting ready.

"Seriously! Brooke will kill me if I'm late for warm-ups again!"

Tim joined me first, throwing his backpack over his shoulders as he came bounding down the stairs.

"Relax baby. We won't let Brooke kill you." He kissed me and I relaxed a little bit but tensed again when I looked at my watch, "Savannah! Get your ass down here now!"

"We're coming!" Savannah laughed as she bounded down the stairs towards me, Nathan right behind her.

I looked around at all of us. Nathan and Tim dressed in their basketball uniforms and warm-ups. Me in my cheerleading uniform. Savannah dressed in regular black pants and a Tree Hill Basketball polo shirt. It was weird, for the first time since junior high, Savannah would not be playing basketball on a team.

When we had gotten back to Tree Hill almost a week ago all of us had pleaded with the principal and the board of directors to let Savannah stay on the team. Nathan had gone as far as talking with his dad personally but Dan refused to back down unless Nathan moved back home. Nathan would have done it but then Savannah wouldn't let him.

So here we were, opening game of the season, and instead of suiting up to play, Savannah would be sitting on the bench as assistant coach.

"Hey, you sure about this?" I asked her as we headed out to her car outside.

"Of course Cammie. If I can't play, at least I can coach." She smiled at me and pressed a button to pop the trunk of her car so that we could all put our gym bags inside, "Let's get out of here so we can kick some ass!"

The gym was already packed with students and parents on both sides of the gym. Some were here to see the Ravens. Some were here for the opposing Pirates. I ran to join my fellow cheerleaders. Tim, Nathan, and Savannah had gone in the back entrance which took them straight to the locker room.

"Finally, where the hell have you been?" Brooke scolded me when I sat down next to them to stretch.

"Sorry. Savannah, Tim, and Nathan took forever to get ready."

With my pom-poms next to me I reached out to touch the toes of my extended leg and pull back so that the muscles stretched to their max.

"How's Nate doing?" Peyton asked quietly.

None of us had really discussed with anyone who wasn't there when it happened what had actually happened. The whole school had of course noticed Haley wasn't there anymore, but we were trying to keep the details to ourselves so we could spare Nathan some pain.

The rest of the cheerleaders looked like they wanted to pounce, staring at me, waiting for me to answer Peyton's question.

"He's fine." I answered vaguely, "Savannah wants everyone to come over after the game so, you can see him then."

It hadn't taken long for us to pack up Nathan's things from his apartment and move them into one of the spare bedrooms at Savannah's house. We had actually been having fun most of the week after school, the three of us, sometimes more when the rest of the gang joined us, just chilling and studying or watching movies. It was in doing the normal things I figured Nathan would heal the best. I didn't think he would do so well if we all treated him like he was broken, so we didn't.

"I can't believe that Principal Turner wouldn't let Savannah stay on the team." Bevin finally interrupted our conversation, "It's not fair is it? They can't just kick her off when she plays as hard and as good as the boys, can they?"

"Apparently they can." Peyton shrugged, "It doesn't seem fair though, does it?"

Not long after, the squad was standing on the sidelines gearing up the crowd for the appearance of the teams. The home crowd was pumped up and even Xander had made it back from Spain to watch.

"Peyt, Xander's here." I poked Peyton who looked up into the stands and gave Xander a killer smile.

"I didn't think he was gonna make it." Peyton laughed with me.

"I guess he likes the uniform." Brooke reached over and flipped Peyton's skirt playfully making Peyton jump.

"Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for joining us tonight at the Whitey Durham Field House for the opening of your Tree Hill Ravens season! First, let's welcome the away team tonight, the Pickerington Pirates!"

We urged the home crowd in front of us to boo which they did loudly. The Pirates jogged out onto the court stopping at their side of the benches to pull off their warm-ups and wait for the home team to be announced.

"And now, please make some noise for your home team, the Tree Hill Ravens!"

The crowd went crazy, jumping up and down, screaming, clapping, and making general noise. As part of the squad we shook our pom-poms and yelled a general "Yeah! Go Ravens!"

When the Ravens made themselves comfortable near us on their bench, removing their warm-ups and taking quick drinks of water, both teams were given the go ahead to get on the court to run warm up drills and take some baskets.

Savannah went out with them, yelling directions and critiques as they each took shots. It was cute to see she even had her own whistle and just because she was friends with the guys did not mean she was cutting them slack. Whitey looked pleased.

"She's brutal." Brooke laughing as she nodded in Savannah's direction, "I wish she was playing though, don't you? Dan Scott looks way too pleased with himself."

Dan was indeed in the bleachers, just a few rows away from us, smirking towards the court. I wanted to run up and smack the smirk off his face, but that would have done no good and I knew it wouldn't. I would have felt better if I had though.

The whistle was blown signaling that the teams had only a few minutes before they needed to be ready for opening tip off. Savannah and the team headed back to the bench and they all went into a huddle, talking strategy. With a quick team chant "Go Ravens!" the starters were out on the court. Lucas, Nathan, Tim, Paul, and Chris took their positions on the court, Nathan set at the tip off.

The whistle blew, the ball flew into the air and Nathan won, tipping the ball to Tim who held the ball while the Ravens got set near the basket.

It took only a few seconds before Nathan made the first basket which prompted our first cheer.

"Yeah, that's right, it's nothing new. The Ravens are here and were gonna beat you! So, move aside because we're coming in. Ravens, Go, Fight, Win! Come on Go, Fight, Win!"

"Raven's 1!" I did a high kick while the other cheerleaders around me yelled their own slogan and did their own jump or kick and then we all turned around to watch the game together again.

As the action on the court moved back and forth I watched Savannah scream at the guys on the court as if she had been coaching her whole life. She screamed more than Whitey which amused me. I watched her jaw drop when the referee blew his whistle, calling a foul on Nathan even though he was the one who went falling to the ground.

"Oh come on! That was not a foul! He charged him!" Savannah screamed at the ref.

Whitey patted her on the shoulder and she growled, turning away from the court.

"I think she has a lot of pent up aggression she needs to get out." Brooke elbowed me and laughed as Savannah sat down, stomping her feet and screaming into her hands, "I've never seen her so intense."

"Usually she takes it out on the court. Since she's not playing…" I shrugged, knowing Brooke understood what I was saying even though I didn't finish the sentence.

"Alright girls, jamming on three." Brooke got us into formation, "Ready? Ok!"

"We don't need no music, we don't need a band. All we need are Ravens, jamming in the stands. Jamming in the stands!" The cheer started quietly as we encouraged the crowd to join us, "We don't need no music, we don't need a band. All we need are Ravens, jamming in the stands. Jamming in the stands."

Just before half time the Ravens were winning by 12, but I was envisioning Savannah having a heart attack right on the sideline. She screamed at referee's. She chewed out players when they came off the court for a break. It was like they weren't winning, she was so intense.

"Savannah, back off." Nathan snapped when he came of the court for the first time just before the half.

Savannah looked surprised that he snapped at her and she shut up for a second. Brooke, Peyton and I looked at each other, surprised as well, waiting to see her reaction.

"Did you just tell me to back off?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes." Nathan snapped again but almost immediately he softened, "I'm sorry Savannah. I'm just… I'm tired ok? Give me a break."

She looked like she didn't want to but just when we thought she was about to start screaming at him she turned and walked away.

"Ouch!" Peyton mouthed to me and I nodded.

When the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the half both teams jogged off court which left us cheerleaders to entertain the crowd.

Mouth acted as our DJ, starting up our music so that we could begin the routine. Brooke had chosen Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls. I figured the routine was exactly what this crowd needed to get fired up.

The classic cheer intro began with "ARE YOU READY?" while the slow Buttons intro played in the background. We had chosen the version with Snoop Dogg rapping in the beginning and when he talked about being with the lead Pussycat, Brooke snapped into position, grinning as the crowd went wild.

The intro only lasted about 30 seconds and as soon as it started the chorus, we all snapped to attention, strutting forward together as if we were all the same person, shaking our hips with attitude.

"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh) But you keep fronting (Uh) Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh) But I ain't seen nothing (Uh) I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh) But you keep fronting (Uh) Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh) But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)."

Every time the music said "uh huh" we nodded our heads and we could see the crowd getting into it. This was, after all, our first performance of the season, and I don't think anyone had expected us to start off with something so sexy.

"Typical Hardly the type I fall for I like when the physical Don't leave me asking for more."

As the verse began we all spread out spinning so that we were perfectly spaced into three lines. Brooke, Peyton, Bevin, and I were in the front row. Five girls were in the middle row and another four in the back. As the music mentioned falling we all fell into the splits in unison. We let just our bodies fall forward staying in a split position with our chests flat against the floor then turned over so our entire body was flat on our back.

"I'm a sexy mama (mama) Who knows just how to get what I wanna (wanna) What I want to do is spring this on you (on you) Back up all of the things that I told you (told you)."

We turned on our sides so we were still laying on the court but facing the home crowd. We kicked our right legs up into the air, bent our left legs underneath us and then moved into a crouching position so we were able to spring up when the song mentioned "spring". We turned so we were facing the away crowd and walked a few steps towards them, positioning ourselves back in the middle of the court.

"You've been saying all the right things all night long But I can't seem to get you over here to help take this off Baby, can't you see? (see) How these clothes are fitting on me (me) And the heat coming from this beat (beat) I'm about to blow I don't think you know."

We went into a sort of hip-hop inspired dance for this part of the song, shaking our butts and doing a few intricate step moves before turning back to the home crowd and all of us gathering around Brooke as they lyrics talked about heat. We crowded her and when the lyric said "blow" we all jumped away, letting ourselves land on the floor in push up position so we could pop right back up.

"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh) But you keep fronting (Uh) Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh) But I ain't seen nothing (Uh) I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh) But you keep fronting (Uh) Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh) But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)."

For the chorus we had learned the Pussycat Dolls exact choreography starting with sliding our legs apart slowly and at "uh huh" throwing our hair forward then flipping it back. We pulled our legs back together and at the next "uh" we fell into squat positions and rose back up slowly, letting our butts stick out provocatively. At the second "uh huh" we turned so that we were alternating facing directions, where only every other girl faced the home team and at the next "uh" we all bent ourselves backward, using each others hands for support so that we didn't fall.

For the next few bits of lyric we each had a different skill to show off and mine was to lift my right leg parallel to my head, so that I was doing a perfect standing split.

We had decided not to do the whole song as if we did too many provocative tricks we might get in trouble with the principal, so instead of going into the second verse we went straight to the remixed part of the song that sounded almost like a tropical or Columbian inspired jungle music and again we had learned every bit of the Pussycat Dolls choreography down to the Shakira like hip gyrations, the Beyonce booty shakes and every last hair flip and twirl.

The chorus repeated one more time as we walked towards the sidelines and when the song ended the crowd was completely pumped up. They were screaming and cheering, almost more than they had for the actual basketball game.

We all grabbed our pom-poms and headed back to center court to start the cheering section of our halftime show.

"Raven fans up in the stands yell gooooo ravens!"

The crowd repeated after we did.

"Raven fans up in the stand yell beat those Pirates!" We waited for them to cheer then began to clap and chant "One more time show your spirit fans, lets hear it, goooo Ravens, beat those tigers!"

We got in position for the next cheer which Brooke called out to us and then began.

"R-E-D! Red! H-O-T! Hot! Once we start we can't be stopped. We're bad! We know it! We're here! To show it!" We paused for a second, smiling at each other and then started the chant again, this time a little louder and a littler faster, "R-E-D! Red! H-O-T! Hot! Once we start we can't be stopped. We're bad! We know it! We're here! To show it!"

After repeating Red Hot for a few times and getting the crowd into the chant we switched to our third and final chant which would then signal it was time for the boys to come back out from the locker rooms and join us.

"Hey you Ravens fans, Stand up and clap your hands. Say go Ravens go, go Ravens go! Hey you Ravens fans, now lets see you wave your hands, Say go Ravens go, go Ravens go! Go Ravens go, go Ravens go!"

We left the court in a frenzy of wild energy jumping, yelling and screaming. The crowd was still chanting and screaming as the basketball teams came out from the locker rooms. We had successfully done our job, getting the crowd riled up for the rest of the game.

The Ravens team all came to the bench to grab some more water before heading back out to the court. Savannah and Nathan were laughing together which we took as a good sign given the way we had seen them interacting before they had gone into the locker room.

"Hey!"

Peyton, Brooke, and I turned around to find Xander standing right behind us at the bleachers.

"Can we help you sir?" Peyton teased him with a grin.

"Can I get a private performance of that half time show when we get home?"

"Ugh! Xander!" I exclaimed and Brooke broke into a fit of giggles while Peyton blushed.

"I guess that depends." Peyton finally replied with a smirk, "Have you been a good boy today?"

"Not at all." Xander raised his eyebrows at Peyton who bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"Then I think we can arrange something."

"Go Peyton!" Bevin joined Brooke and I in laughing loudly while Peyton ran over and kissed Xander quickly.

The buzzer sounded signaling the beginning of the third quarter and Peyton quickly hurried back to join us in formation as we cheered the boys on as they headed back onto the court.

"Yeah! Go Ravens!"

"Ravens are 1!"

"Nice ass!" Brooke yelled and we all fell into laughter again and Lucas turned to smile seductively at her and she winked at him.

"You guys are horrible." Savannah joined us, standing to Peyton's right and watching as the Pirates in-bounded the ball, "So everyone at my house after?"

"Of course, where else are we going to hang out?" Brooke laughed.

"I don't know. You have a point. Everyone else has parents." Savannah smiled over at all of us and noticed Bevin was listening very closely to our conversation, "Bevin? Would you like to join us?"

Brooke, Peyton and I turned to Bevin who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I really, really would. Can I?"

"I don't care." Savannah shrugged her shoulders and then suddenly erupted, screaming at the officials, "Are you blind? Call that foul!"

We all stared at her when she turned back to us like she had suddenly grown a third boob.

"Sorry." She sighed, "I just… I have a lot of pent up frustration."

"Take it out in bed sweetie." I advised, "I would rather not watch you have a stroke on the sidelines."

Savannah laughed again.

"In bed with who?" She retorted, "I don't have anyone."

Before we could feel sorry for her or respond, she headed back to the bench to confer with Whitey about something and the rest of us were left just standing there.

"I kind of feel bad for her." Peyton said, "I mean, she's right. We all have boyfriends and yet she spends most of her free time taking care of Nate. Hell, the one time she did sleep with someone it turned into…"

We all looked to where Bevin was still listening intently and Peyton wisely decided to not proceed with that sentence.

"How horrible is it when you're that hot and you can't even get laid?" Peyton finished.

"I agree. Maybe I should see if Bryan will come into town." I suggested but Brooke and Peyton both glared at me, "Oh come on! Just because last time didn't turn out great, it's not like they didn't end on good terms! It was what was overheard from the sex that turned into drama!"

"Oh come on ya'll!" Bevin had a sudden outburst, "I am dying trying to be a part of this little group you have goin' on and you are confusing me so much! I'm trustworthy! You can tell me!"

The three of us looked at her standing there, pouting while the rest of the squad were chatting on the other end of the group.

"Well, you're coming to Savannah's after the game right?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe we'll tell you there." Brooke shrugged, "We love you Bevin but it's not really our thing to tell."

The three of us all watched Nathan intentionally slam dunk over three of his opponents and scream loudly as he knew he had dominated the court.

"Yeah! Go Nathan!" The whole squad erupted together.

"I just miss you guys. I mean, we used to be friends." Bevin glanced at Brooke and Peyton, "Right?"

"We are friends Bevin." Brooke put her arm around Bevin and hugged her, "Quit worrying about everything. The first step is the invite and you have that. You're gonna love Savannah's house. We have so much fun."

"I'm excited." Bevin giggled happily.

The game ended with the Ravens winning 83-67. Once we had all showered and changed into normal clothes we piled into four separate cars to head back to Savannah's house for the after party fun. Savannah drove Nathan, Tim and I just like we had arrived. Brooke drove her car with Lucas and Bevin while Peyton rode with Xander.

"We would have won by a larger margin if you had been out there with us." Nathan said to Savannah as we approached the door of the house. We were the first group to arrive.

"Thanks." Savannah sighed, "I wish I had been out there. I think Cammie was right. I almost had a stroke on the sidelines. Too much frustration. I'm used to getting it all out on the court."

Once Savannah unlocked the door and we went inside we just left it open, knowing the rest of the group wasn't far behind us.

"Home sweet home." Savannah turned and suddenly jumped into Nathan's arms. He almost dropped her since he didn't expect it but saved it at the last minute.

"What was that for?" Nathan asked, still holding her as he swung her around the room, careful not to break anything.

"Congratulations." She wiggled as a signal to set her down and she grinned at him, "One win for the Ravens."

"Thanks." He smiled back at her and I turned around to face Tim, almost feeling like I was intruding on a personal moment.

"Tim, come on baby. This is not a celebration without alcohol!"

Tim and I headed into the kitchen and began pulling out the house stash of liquor and setting it on the counter. He grabbed glasses from the cupboard and immediately we started mixing drinks for the whole group, already knowing what everyone drank on a regular basis.

"Wait, what does Bevin drink?" I paused, realizing there was one drink we didn't know how to mix.

"Bevin drinks whatever you have." Bevin entered the kitchen striking a pose in the doorway and laughing, "Oh my God, you guys have a whole liquor store in here."

"What's your poison?" I asked her.

"Um… Tequila. Ooh, you guys have Patron." She grabbed the whole bottle of our silver Patron and opened it, sniffing happily, "I'll take this."

Tim and I laughed loudly at her as she left the kitchen, prancing and giggling.

"I thought I'd come help." Peyton offered, joining us in the kitchen.

Tim already had his hands full with a few drinks and headed out to deliver them. I handed Peyton hers and Xander's and then grabbed the last three.

"Oh, wait, is this mine?" Peyton set hers back on the counter.

"Yeah, it's what you always drink. Tequila Sunrise."

"I'm not drinking alcohol actually." Peyton frowned, "Maybe Savannah will drink it."

She picked the drink back up and started to walk but I stopped her.

"Wait, why aren't you drinking?"

"I just don't feel like it."

I could tell she was lying.

"Peyton… are you…"

"Pregnant?" Peyton smiled sarcastically at me, "Maybe, I don't know. Don't say anything ok? I haven't even said anything to Xander."

"But, I thought you two hadn't seen each other in like three months before we went to New York last week. You couldn't possibly…"

"No, well. Xander came to see me once about a month and a half ago and all we had was one night before he had to go back and at the time I didn't want to get in trouble with my dad. I didn't think anything of it except technically I should have had my period during the trip to New York and Xander noticed, so I lied and said I had it early this month but well, then I realized I didn't have it last month either."

"Oh my God. Two months Peyt? You're pregnant!"

"Shh." Peyton quieted me, looking around to make sure no one could here us, "Please Cammie, don't say anything. I haven't even had the nerve to take a test yet… I just can't face it. My dad would kill me and Xander…"

"No, Xander loves you." I argued, "He loves you! He wants to marry you already."

"But he's not ready for kids. We talked about it already. We wanted to wait until after I graduated art school and he could give the family business over to Orlando. Then we could live happily here in Tree Hill instead of traveling back and forth. That was when we wanted to start a family."

"Well I guess you should have thought of that when you were having sex huh?" I smiled at her but she didn't smile back, "Peyton, relax. It's going to be fine. I won't say anything but if you wait too much longer you're going to start showing."

"Showing what?" Savannah joined us and grabbed her drink from my hand, "The baby?"

Peyton's eyes got wide and Savannah began to laugh.

"Like I haven't realized you're not drinking and you were puking in my bathroom the other night?" Savannah grinned, "I figured you hadn't told Xander yet so I didn't say anything. Six weeks right?"

"Why would you keep track of their sex life?" I asked Savannah who shrugged.

"They've only seen each other twice in the past three months. One of those times was last week so I figured it had to be about six weeks ago or else she would be showing already."

"You're mean. Why didn't you tell me you knew? I could have used someone to talk to Savannah!" Peyton pouted.

"Don't be upset Peyt. I mean, if you wanted to talk about it you would have come to talk to me or Brooke or someone! I didn't want you to think I was invading your privacy." Savannah hugged Peyton, "I love you Peyt. If you want to talk, I'm around."

"Some of us aren't drinking yet!" Nathan yelled from the living room.

"Get your lazy ass up and get it yourself!" I yelled back.

"Come on, let's just get out there." Peyton sighed, "You guys aren't gonna tell anyone right?"

"Promise." Savannah and I said at the same time then began chuckling hysterically, "Jinx!"

"You guys are like little kids." Nathan grabbed his Jack Daniel's and Coke from my hand, "Thanks for the drink."

"You're welcome."

In the living room the rest of the group had already set up a game of Texas Hold 'Em Poker and had dealt Peyton and I in.

"Yay, strip poker." I giggled, taking my seat on the floor between Tim and Bevin.

"Not strip poker." Xander rolled his eyes, "Just poker."

"Aww… that's no fun." I pouted.

Peyton took her seat next to Xander handing him his drink but he frowned.

"Where's your drink?" He asked.

"I… left it in the kitchen." Peyton stood back up, "Sorry, I'll be right back guys."

"There's a shortage of available boys at this party." Bevin suddenly realized, "Why are there not more guys here?"

"Um… cause we like our group." Savannah laughed, "I mean, we like the guys on the team too, but we do these little shindigs so often, my house would be trashed every night and I don't like the cleaning bills."

"Oh." Bevin nodded slowly, "Well, I'm just glad I'm here. Thanks for letting me come."

"Of course." Savannah smiled at her.

Just as Peyton returned and we were starting to place bets for the first round of poker, Lucas's cell phone rang and we were stuck waiting again.

"I'll be right back." Lucas stood up and walked out of the room quickly.

He did that a lot lately which we assumed meant he was talking to Haley. All of us sort of fell quiet, looking to Nate who didn't take his eyes off his cards.

"Someone talk." He said simply, "We all know that's Haley on the phone. She left me and as far as I see it, that's her loss. There is no need to be quiet."

"I think we should play strip poker." Savannah announced suddenly, "Strip poker is much more fun. Plus, I am wearing really cute underwear and I've been dying to show them off."

"You're good at poker though. You won't end up naked." Peyton retorted, "No. More than likely I'll end up naked and I'd rather not, thanks."

"Buzz kill." Savannah sighed.

"You can take your clothes off anyway. We don't mind." Tim told her and I smacked his arm hard making him wince.

"No! Bad boyfriend!"

Everyone laughed loudly, including Tim who leaned over and kissed me.

"You know I'm just kidding baby."

"Yeah I know."

"Lucas! Come on! We're waiting for you!" Brooke yelled after her boyfriend but the only response was the front door opening and closing as he went outside.

"Let's just skip him for this round. It's not a big deal." Nathan was next to bet anyway, "I'll raise."

He threw his chips into the pot and then it was Savannah's turn.

"I will call." She threw her chips in and turned to Bevin who called.

I folded, Tim called. Xander raised a bit more but Peyton folded.

When the first round of betting was finally done it was Xander, Savannah, and Nathan in the pot.

Nathan was dealing so he dealt out the three "flop" cards and betting resumed starting with Savannah who bet 20 in chips to Xander. He folded which left it just Nathan and Savannah. Nathan called.

"Oh come on Nate, you don't want me to beat you." Savannah laughed as he dealt out the "turn" card.

Savannah started the betting again, this time putting in a large bet of 100. Nathan re-raised to 350 but Savannah wasn't backing down. She called again and the last card, "the river card" was dealt.

"I'm all in." Savannah put all of her chips in which meant if she lost, she was out of the game with only the first hand. Nathan called her and it was judgment time.

When the cards were flipped over, Nathan won with a flush against Savannah's two pair.

"Aww… that sucks!" She yelled loudly, "See, you guys should have played strip poker." She sighed as Nathan collected the chips but stopped midway and smiled over at her.

"I tell you what." He began dividing the chips he had won into three small piles, "I will give you half your chips back."

"Ok…" Savannah narrowed her eyes at him, "And what do I have to do for these chips?"

"You wanted to play strip poker…" He shrugged, "Strip."

"No! Nathan!" Brooke exclaimed. Both Peyton and Xander also objected.

"Nobody wants to play strip poker with me." Savannah replied, "What's the point in stripping?"

"Well, one, I do want to play strip poker with you and two, you get half your chips back even if no one else plays. What do you say?"

We all kind of looked around at each other uncomfortably as Nathan and Savannah stared intently at each other. It was like they were sizing each other up. Nathan to see if Savannah had the nerve to really strip and Savannah to see if Nathan was serious.

"Alright." Savannah pulled her shirt off leaving her in just her black pants and what did actually turn out to be a very cute lilac purple lace demi bra.

"Here you go." Nathan slid half of Savannah's chips back to her, "Give me your shirt. No cheating. You can't put it back on."

Savannah's mouth fell open but she handed her shirt over and rearranged her chips in front of her.

"Ok, so now, who wants to play strip poker with us?" Nathan looked up at the rest of us and took a huge swig of his drink, "Camille? It was your idea."

"I'm in." I nodded, "Hell, I'm already more clothed than Savannah. I'm winning."

"I wanna play." Bevin laughed almost nervously.

Tim didn't even have to say anything. We all knew he was going to play.

"No." Xander shook his head and stood, taking his drink with him, "I'd rather not watch my sister get naked, thank you."

"I'm with you." Peyton stood and followed him, smiling back at all of us, "Thank you. Now I get to go to bed early."

Xander laughed and we all yelled goodnight to them as they headed upstairs.

"Aww hell, why not?" Brooke shrugged, "Lucas probably won't like this idea but I'm in. I haven't played strip poker in like… six months."

"Wow, that long?" Savannah teased.

"Hey, that's a long time for me." Brooke replied, "Right guys? I used to be a huge party girl."

"The whore of Tree Hill." Tim teased and Brooke pushed him as hard as she could as he laughed and tried not to spill his drink.

"Whatever." Brooke fake pouted, "I'm reformed."

"Now you're practically a nun." Bevin giggled.

"Ok, I'm back." Lucas walked back into the room but stopped dead when he saw Savannah was topless, "Um, did I miss something?"

"We're playing strip poker." Savannah grinned, "I lost the first round."

"Ohhhh k." Lucas took his seat again next to Brooke, "Well, deal me in."

"Wait." Nathan had shuffled the cards and was ready to deal. He stopped and looked at Lucas intently, "Where is she?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucas played dumb but we all stopped to watch closely.

"Don't be stupid Lucas. You know who I'm talking about. She puts all her shit in storage, leaves without a word, doesn't call me but she does call you. I think I at least deserve to know where my wife ran off to this time."

The silence that followed fell over all of us uncomfortably. Bevin's eyes were wide, as this was the first time she had heard any details of the story.

"She's in Nashville currently." Lucas finally answered, "She's back on tour… with the Wreckers."

Nathan took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly before nodding and then turning back to begin shuffling the cards.

What he said next we almost didn't hear but his words were just barely audible from beneath his breath.

"When you talk to her next, tell her to expect divorce papers shortly."


	26. Chapter 24: Pregnant

_**Author's Note: I am quite proud of this chapter and so I hope you all like it. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter and remember to review this chapter or else you have to wait longer for the next one, which is already half written :) Enjoy!  
**_

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Pregnant**

**Peyton POV**

"What does it say?" I didn't have the energy to get up and look. I already knew the answer but it couldn't hurt at this point to at least take the test.

"It's positive." Savannah held the god forsaken pee stick in front of my face and I almost puked all over her hand.

"Gross Savannah, I peed on that."

"I should be the one grossed out. I'm holding it after you peed on it." She went back into the bathroom and threw it away then came back and jumped onto the bed, landing and laying right next to me, "So, we already knew that. Now what?"

"Well, I guess I have to tell Xander next." I sighed and turned over to lay on my back and she did the same, "Is he going to hate me?"

"No." Savannah scoffed, "He couldn't be any more in love with you or else the world would implode or something… I don't know what I'm saying but you get my point. My brother is head over heels for you. Hell, he asked you to marry him didn't he?"

We had this conversation before. The one where I explain that while I knew Xander loved me, I was not sure of his reaction to having a baby right now.

"So you're what? 8 weeks pregnant now?" Savannah asked.

"Yeah."

"Well let's look it up online." Savannah jumped up and grabbed her laptop from the desk in the corner of the room, bringing it back to the bed where I sat up to look, "Week 8. The little one has a heartbeat now, and this pregnancy week is safe for getting the first ultrasound of different stages of pregnancy trimester. You may face problems like acne and rashes due to hormone changes, but they're just temporary."

I sighed. That sounded about right.

"The first trimester, which you are a little past halfway through, is marked by tenderness of breasts, tiredness, morning sickness, which can happen any time of the day, headaches, frequent urination, and others." Savannah looked at me and I nodded, having experienced all of the above already, "Ok Peyton, we have to get you in to see a doctor. It says specifically at this trimester, you have to be very particular about prenatal care and your nutrition. In addition to this, you should exercise regularly keeping the safety of your baby in mind. Remember; a healthy mother gives birth to a healthy baby."

"I'm still cheering. That's exercise, right?"

Savannah huffed, setting the computer to the side and looking me straight in the eyes.

"Look, I know that you are scared. Honestly, I couldn't imagine being pregnant right now. At 18, which I will be next week in case you were keeping track, um… yeah, at 18, the last thing you want to be thinking about is having a baby. I know you are scared about telling Xander but here's the thing. He's in Spain. So right now is the perfect time to go to the doctor, I'll go with you, find out your options, and we'll get through it. You always have me and I'm sure Cammie, and Brooke, and even Bevin would want to help you through this too. We love you and so does Xander. I promise you, as his sister who knows almost everything there is to know about him, he is going to be super excited about this baby. Probably a little nervous, just like you are, but super happy."

I took a deep breath and then fell backwards, covering my face with a pillow as I screamed loudly.

"Uh… Savannah?" Nathan knocked on the bedroom door and looked at me curiously then back to Savannah, "Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Currently I am in Peyton Crisis mode but I can be available around 8 pm to switch to Nathan Crisis mode, is it urgent?"

"It's not a crisis. I was just gonna ask if you will go with me to the meet with the lawyer tomorrow to file my divorce papers."

"Oh." Savannah slumped, "That."

He smiled at her. She gave me a distraught look. I shrugged.

"Nathan, are you sure you want to go through with that?" She motioned for him to come sit with us on the bed, "I mean, don't you think that maybe you at least want to talk to Haley first? I know what she did was wrong and I am completely on your side and behind you supporting you 100 for any decision you make, but it just seems hasty, you know?"

"How can you defend her?" Nathan shook his head almost angrily, "After what she did to you and then just leaving? She doesn't deserve my time, energy, or thoughts Savannah."

"I'm not defending her Nate. God knows, I am definitely not defending her. Trust me, I am there with you on not liking Haley."

"I hate her." Nathan said simply.

"Nate, you don't…" Savannah started.

"I do."

"Ok fine, you hate her. If you feel that strongly about it, then yes, I will go to the lawyer with you tomorrow I just worry about you Nate and I don't want you to make any decisions you are going to regret, you know?"

"I know." Nathan leaned over and kissed her temple, "I will not regret this. I am over Haley."

"You're not over her." Savannah sighed, "But feel free to argue with me on that too since I'm only your best friend who you tell everything and who is the one there to pick up the pieces of the furniture, light fixtures, and windows you smash when you're pissed off about something, usually Haley in particular."

I had heard about Nathan's temper and how easily he got pissed off since Haley had left him three weeks ago. I had witnessed the smashed window but I didn't know what furniture he had broken since we had come back from New York.

"Someone who is over someone else does not break stuff when they're angry about the situation with that other person." Savannah leaned her head on Nathan's shoulder and squeezed his arm, "I love you Nate. You're my best friend and I just want what's best for you."

"I know." Nathan sighed, "Lawyer, tomorrow. I am positive it is the first step in the right direction for me."

Nathan patted Savannah's knee, turned to smile at me, then stood and headed for the door.

"Okay, thank you for that pep talk. Go back to Peyton Crisis mode."

Nathan disappeared and Savannah turned back to me.

"Sorry, I just… I worry about him."

"I know." I smiled as she pouted.

"Anyway," She perked back up immediately, "Peyton, we need to make a doctor's appointment for you."

"Ok." I nodded, knowing I had to come to term with my situation eventually, "There is Planned Parenthood over on 7th. I will call to make the appointment tomorrow if you promise to go with me and please, don't say anything to Xander yet."

"I promise." Savannah stuck out her pinky and pinky swore to her promise, "Honestly, I'm kind of excited about being an aunt. I've never really had to take care of a baby before."

"Me either, not a tiny baby. I mean… I helped Jake with Jenny but she was already 8 months old."

"Ah yes, Jake. Tell me about him because I hear about him a lot but have never met him. Why? He sounds hot."

I had to laugh as Savannah growled like she wanted to devour something.

"Jake was… amazing. He um, he got this girl pregnant in his sophomore year and when she gave birth to Jenny, she left which meant he was left with this beautiful baby girl. And none of us knew about her for a long time. I mean, Jake played basketball and hung out with all of us but we never even realized that he had a kid until like halfway through junior year he brings her to this open mic night we had at Karen's and after that, I don't know, we just kind of hit it off. I baby sat a couple times and even though there was some drama with the baby mama, I fell in love with him. That's why he had to leave though."

"Because you loved him?"

"No." I smiled, "No, the drama with the baby mama. Nikki. She was trying to get custody of Jenny so Jake left. He got out of town and we haven't heard from him since which is good I guess. I mean, hopefully that means he still has Jenny and Nikki hasn't found them."

Savannah nodded.

"Did you love him more than you love Xander?"

She looked like she didn't really want to ask the question, clearly afraid of the answer as it was her brother we were talking about here.

"No." I answered honestly, "Absolutely not. The connection Xander and I have is on so many different, more emotional levels. I mean, a year ago, if you had told me I was going to be engaged and pregnant half way through senior year, I would have told you that you were crazy."

"Especially because you didn't know me a year ago." Savannah joked.

"Right." I laughed with her, "No seriously, I love Xander. Jake and I had something special for a short time and I would never take that back, just like I wouldn't take back what Nathan and I had or what Lucas and I had because those things shaped me into who I am today."

"Girl, you get around." Savannah smiled and then reached over to hug me, "I'm glad you're going to be my sister-in-law and not like… I don't know. I love Bevin but… oh my god, sometimes the girl is so ditzy!"

"Bevin's not as stupid as she seems." I defended her.

"No, I know." Savannah nodded, "She helped me with a calculus problem the other day and like, I don't want to sound conceited, but I know calculus. I could not figure this stupid problem out and Bevin was just like 'oh, this is how you do it.' And it was right!"

I laughed.

"It just shows you that sometimes people are not what you think." Savannah grinned, "Ugh, I have a photo shoot this weekend."

"The beginning of your portfolio huh?"

"Yep." Savannah nodded, "I guess it's a good thing I decided to do the modeling thing since I don't have basketball anymore which I miss so much. I haven't really said anything to anyone but Peyt, I miss basketball like I would miss breathing if my breath was taken away."

"Yeah, I know. I think we all know but no one wanted to say anything because we didn't want to make you think about it."

"Yeah…" Savannah sighed, "Anyway, the idea behind this photo shoot this weekend is like high glamour, lots of fur. Just very luxurious and it was all the photographer's idea. Her name is Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele or… something like that. I hear she's a really great photographer though."

"Where are you shooting it?"

"Downtown. It should be fun, I just hope I don't suck."

"You will not suck." I smiled over at her, "Hey, thanks for getting my mind off the whole… baby thing. I've kind of been growing crazy cause I didn't really want to believe it and so I didn't talk about it."

"No problem. What are future sister-in-laws for?"

"I guess you're right." I agreed, "Who can I talk to if I can't talk to you? I mean, you solve everyone's problems."

"Hah!" Savannah rolled her eyes, "Everyone's but my own."

"You have problems? Spill. I'd love to know that you're not as perfect as I thought you were."

Savannah sighed loudly.

"I hate being single." She said simply, "I hate it. Like… Bryan was my first boyfriend. I was 14 and he was 16 and we dated until I was 16 and he was 18. Literally, right after he broke up with me I was so heartbroken I like poured myself into this relationship with Jackson who shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces and then I got kicked out of school, shipped to North Carolina and tada! I get here and I divulge in Lucas who was a nice way to spend three months but since then, we're talking almost 4 months now, I've only had sex once and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm like, one of those girls, who doesn't know who she is unless she's with someone."

"That's not true." I disagreed, "You are Savannah Carter. You are amazing at basketball. You're gorgeous. You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. You have a heart of gold. You care for everyone around you immensely, making sure that each and every one of your friends know that you are there for them 110 when they need you and you never ever take anything for yourself. You are like the least selfish person I know."

"Aww, thanks Peyton." Savannah hugged me gently, "I appreciate all that but, I don't see it in myself. It's like, people telling me all the time how hot I am, I don't see it. I'm just a normal girl. Like when Matthew wanted me to model, I was like why? I'm just me you know? But I feel beautiful when I'm with someone. Like Bryan, he used to make me feel like the only girl in the world. The only beautiful person anywhere."

"Maybe you should try to make things work with him. I know we haven't had a lot of time to just sit and talk like this since New York, especially with all the Nathan and Haley drama, you've had other things to focus on, but you and Bryan seem good together. He adores you."

"Yeah, but he has one singular goal in mind and that is to be a lawyer. Until he is a lawyer, he will not seriously date anyone and with Bryan, I'm not interested in less. I mean, yeah, the one night in New York is one thing but I went into that knowing 100 that was what it was. It was one night and we wouldn't talk again until we happened to cross paths. If we were trying to be like, friends with benefits or something, and I had to pretend on a daily basis that I didn't want more, I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Then date someone at school. There are other boys in the school other than the Scott brothers. And you can also try looking outside basketball."

"No." Savannah shook her head, "No, there's too much going on with school already and I have the friends I want. Our group is great the way it is."

"But there are no single guys in our group. I mean, there's Nathan, but he's not really single yet and he's also Nathan. He's probably going to be pissed off forever over this whole Haley fiasco. She really was everything to him. She was so good for him. Have we ever mentioned to you how much of a jackass he was before her?"

"I've heard." Savannah sighed, "He'll get over her eventually. I mean, I got over Jackson."

"You said it yourself, Jackson was a rebound hookup. You needed him to get over Bryan but in case you haven't noticed, you're not over Bryan." I pointed out, "You never really get over true love."

"That's depressing." Savannah pouted, "I don't want to live thinking that the best I'll ever have was Bryan who I know for a fact I will not get back."

"Hi friends!" Brooke bounded into Savannah's room suddenly, "What are you doing?"

"Talking."

Savannah and I both looked up at Brooke with smiles.

"Guess what I'm doing? Shopping. Wanna come?"

"Shopping is good." Savannah looked at me, "Peyton?"

I shook my head no.

"Nauseous."

"Oh." Savannah nodded.

"Peyton, you have to chill with this whole flu virus thing. You've been sick for weeks. When are you going to go to the doctor?" Brooke asked, clearly concerned.

"I'm making the appointment tomorrow." I was making the appointment alright, just not for the kind of doctor Brooke thought.

"Good. So, can I steal Savannah? I desperately need a shopping buddy."

"Yes, you may steal Savannah."

Savannah was grinning at the thought of going shopping.

"Have fun." I told them.

"We will." Savannah grabbed her purse and sunglasses from her nightstand, "You need me to get you anything?"

"No." I smiled at her, "Thanks for offering."

"No problem. Call us if you need us."

I agreed and then they were off leaving me on Savannah's bed with a laptop on the bed next to me, a TV on the wall in front of me, and a phone on the nightstand by the other side of the bed. There were so many choices for what to do. All I knew is that I was exhausted and I just wanted to relax.

Several hours later I woke up surrounded by shopping bags from the mall, the TV on but muted as Savannah stood a few feet away, chatting animatedly on her cell phone.

"Of course I would come see you in Chapel Hill Bryan I just… No. Stop that. Quit making me feel guilty. Almost two years I go without seeing you. We have sex once in New York City and now all of a sudden I'm your regular booty call? No. You do not have that privilege."

This was a very interesting conversation, even one sided.

"If you want me then I'm willing but I want the whole package. Exclusivity. You and me only. I want the romance and the… love. If we are going to hook up again, I want it to be like it used to be." Savannah paused, "Fine. If you don't want that then fine, but you're also not getting a booty call."

She slammed her phone shut, stomped the floor a few times and turned around like she was about to scream when she saw me smiling at her from my perch on her bed.

"Hi." She smiled back sweetly, cancelling out the fit she was throwing, "This is all your fault. I took your advice and I tried and… well, it didn't go well, but I don't blame you. I still love you I'm just… frustrated."

"I'm sorry." I pouted with her as she joined me on the bed, pushing all the bags to the side, "What is all this stuff?"

"Well, it's… stuff. I bought a new comforter and sheet set for my bed because I wanted one." She pulled out a purple satin comforter that was almost styled like it was from India and a pair of matching sheets from a huge Macy's bag, "And then I bought clothes."

She began pulling out piles of clothes from several of the bags, all from different stores.

"This, I actually bought for you." She held up a shirt that was an olive green color. It was sleeveless and the straps were twisted kind of in Greek style. It was a very soft cotton and styled with an empire waist, "It's maternity, but it doesn't look maternity so I was able to sneak it in without Brooke noticing. I thought you might like it, especially in a few months when you start showing."

"Thank you." I hugged her and she hugged back.

"I saw so much baby stuff that I wanted to buy. Oh my God, I can't wait until you tell everyone so that I can start shopping. Your baby is going to be the most spoiled child on the face of the earth."

I laughed.

"I guess I'm ok with that."

"You don't really have a choice." Savannah countered, "Ahh… well, retail therapy would have been awesome had it been after I had that phone call with Bryan."

"I'm sorry." I repeated my earlier sentiment, "It could still work. Give him the night then call him again tomorrow and see if he changed his mind."

"Have you met Camille?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Bryan is Camille in the form of a male meaning he is stubborn as hell and incredibly resolved to do what he wants to do despite the reasoning against his point of view. I don't know if you have experienced that side of Camille yet but it is the part that sucks."

"Sounds like it." I sighed, "Well, like I said, you can always embrace the rest of the male student body. Didn't Skillz have a crush on you at the beginning of school?"

"Yeah, but I think he's into Bevin actually. I saw them flirting by her locker at school earlier."

"Oh, I see." I laughed, "You have really bad luck in the men department."

"I know." This time Savannah sighed, "Oh well, that's why God invented credit cards. Shopping is my companion."

"I don't think God invented credit cards."

"Yes he did. Shut up." Savannah snapped playfully, "Alright, I need to throw all these clothes in the dry cleaning pile because I refuse to wear them before they get dry cleaned."

"How much is your dry cleaning bill? You dry clean everything!"

"It's like 1000 a month." She shrugged, "Again, credit cards. I love God and I love my Dad. Oh, I talked to Xander. He said he tried to call you but you didn't answer which I'm assuming is because you were sleeping. He wanted me to tell you that he will be in town this weekend and would like to have dinner with you and your dad Saturday night."

"That sounds so formal. Like I'm scheduling in time for my fiancé." I rolled my eyes, "Ok, I'll call him later."

"Good idea. Maybe… you can tell him and your dad about the baby at the same time!" Savannah giggled and disappeared into her bathroom, "I think that I am going to drive to Chapel Hill after my photo shoot."

"To see Bryan?"

"To kill him." Savannah reappeared now with her hair tied up in a bun and changed into her pajamas, "You wanna spend the night? You still look pretty tired."

"No." I grabbed my phone and noticed it was already 8 pm, "I better get home. My dad will be worrying."

"Ah, to have parents that worry." Savannah plopped on the bed and grabbed the TV remote, "Want me to walk you to your car?"

"No. You're comfortable. Stay that way. I will see you at school tomorrow."

"Ok." Savannah hugged me, "Be good. Take care of yourself."

"Will do." I headed out of her room and down the hall to go downstairs when something in one of the spare bedrooms caught my eye.

I backed up a little and peaked in to see Nathan sitting on the bed, his head in his hands and his body shaking as if he were crying. I had never really dealt with a crying Nathan, so this would be a first, but I couldn't just leave him that way.

"Nathan?" I knocked lightly on the door and it swung open enough for me to ease inside.

Nathan's head snapped up and immediately I saw he was indeed crying. He quickly wiped away the tears.

"Hey, you ok?"

"I'm fine." He lied.

"Are you sure? I can see you crying and since I've never seen you cry, I'm guessing it's serious." I went over and sat next to him on the bed, "Is it Haley?"

"Sort of." He admitted and sighed, "I just… I never expected it to end this way Peyton. You know? I always just thought we would be together forever or at least if we weren't there would be a legitimate reason for it you know? I didn't do anything and she just walked out! How does a person do that?"

"I don't know." I replied, "I don't know how she could have done that. Can I tell you something though?"

Nathan nodded.

"The day we found out about the whole Haley situation, when you, Lucas, and Savannah had come back here while the rest of us were in New York, we went to breakfast. And at breakfast Camille said something which kind of offended all of us, although I can see why she said it, but anyway, she said that Haley was being retarded if she couldn't listen to reason and get over it and that even if you had cheated, it would have been her fault because she was so jealous all the time."

"Camille said that?"

"Yeah but you know what Xander said back?"

"What?"

"He told Camille to put herself in Haley's shoes and imagine if you saw the love of your life was calling you but when you answer the phone, instead you hear sex on the other end. Whether it is actually your loved one on the other end or someone else, by the time you know the truth, your heart has shattered, and maybe… just maybe because I promise I am not sticking up for the way she handled things at all, but maybe that's what happened. Her heart was shattered to the point that she couldn't understand reason. She couldn't listen to an explanation."

Nathan looked like he was contemplating my words.

"I know you and I know that your heart is in a trillion pieces right now because of how Haley handled things. In your current condition, if Haley came back and apologized and had a really plausible explanation for why she had gone, you couldn't listen to reason could you? You couldn't forgive her?"

"No. I'll never forgive her." Nathan said.

"I don't think she has a good explanation, other than, her heart was in a trillion pieces too, so despite the fact that it was actually not you on the other end of that phone, her heart was already shattered and it is hard to put a shattered heart back together."

"I guess that makes sense." Nathan sighed, "It doesn't change the fact that leaving the way she did was heartless and cold and I will not ever forgive her, no matter what, but I guess I could understand a little bit better the reasoning behind it."

I smiled at him and reached over to hug him gently.

"You're gonna be fine Nathan and if divorce is what you think is best, I support you in that. You have all of us, your friends, behind you in whatever decision you make."

"Thanks Peyton." Nathan took a deep breath and wiped away the last remnants of his tears, "What time is it?"

"8:15." I responded easily.

"Ah, it's Savannah chill time." Nathan stood and helped me up.

"Savannah chill time?" I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Yes. Every night, around 8, we crawl into her bed… don't look at me like that. It's innocent." He laughed at my now raised eyebrows, "Anyway, we get into her bed and watch TV or talk or do homework. Whatever it is, we just chill together. It's like bonding time."

"That is… interesting." I laughed and headed out the door of his room, "Well, have fun. I know she's already watching TV cause I just left there and um, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"See you at school tomorrow."

I said goodbye to Camille and Tim who were watching TV in the living room while they made out on the couch and then headed out to my car. My house wasn't that far away but it took me ten minutes to get there anyway. When I pulled up Lucas was just kissing Brooke goodnight at the door which was a little weird, since I was pretty sure Brooke had been at the mall with Savannah only 30 minutes ago.

"Alright, break it up." I approached them at the front door and Lucas turned to me with a guilty grin, "Just kidding. I just need to get through then you can go back to sucking face."

Brooke giggled a little while she and Lucas moved away from the front door.

"Hey Peyton?" Lucas called out to me before I opened the door.

I stopped and turned to face him.

"You ok? You seem distracted. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"I'm fine." It was half true, "Thanks for asking but you two go back to making out. I'm just gonna go inside and talk to my dad."

"He's not here." Lucas responded quickly and I frowned, "He's out with my mom."

"Oh." I smiled, thinking about how happy my dad had been since he started dating Karen seriously, "Alright, well, I'll be inside. You two have fun."

I closed the front door behind me, sighing, and beginning the trek upstairs to my bedroom. I flipped on the light and looked around me at the walls decorated with my artwork. The webcam was on like it always was which meant for the weird people who still liked to watch me, the show had just begun.

I went into my closet and found the RATT album Lucas had given me awhile back, setting it to play quietly, then flopping down on my bed and pulling out my phone to call Xander. It was 2:00 am in Spain so I hoped he wasn't sleeping.

"Hey beautiful." Xander answered sleepily after a few rings, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I fell asleep in Savannah's bed. Sorry I missed your call."

"It's ok. Did Savannah tell you that I wanted to have dinner with you and your dad this weekend?"

"She did." I was still confused about that so I asked, "Why?"

"Because I love you and would like to have a meal with you…" Xander laughed, "What do you mean why?"

"It just sounded weird. Like it was formal or something." I laughed back, "Sorry. I haven't been feeling that good so I'm a little weird."

"You're not feeling good? What's wrong?"

I wanted to just blurt out that I was pregnant. I wanted to tell him but I knew that over the phone when he was so far away would not be a good idea. I must have hesitated too long because he repeated his question.

"Peyton? What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. I've just been a little sick, like the flu or something." I responded quickly this time, "Really, I'm fine. How are you? How's Spain?"

"Cold." He sighed, "I miss you so much Peyt. I can't wait until you graduate so that I can have you with me all the time."

"Me too." I sighed too, "When are you coming into town this weekend? Do you know yet?"

"Probably sometime Friday as long as nothing changes here between now and then." Xander paused, "Peyton, are you sure something's not bothering you. You sound distant."

"There's just a lot going on with school and Nathan and Haley and midterms…" I lied, "And I miss you so much."

"And you're sick." Xander still didn't sound 100 convinced, "You know what? I'll just come tonight. I can get on the plane within the hour and that way I'm there tomorrow and I can take care of you. They don't need me here that bad."

"No, Xander…" As much as I wanted him here I didn't want him to just drop everything because I was a little sick, which he didn't know stemmed for the child growing inside me, "Really, I'm fine. I'm just tired baby. I should just go to sleep."

"Ok." I couldn't tell if he was hurt because I had told him not to come or if he was just worried about me, "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow ok? And I'll see you Friday."

"Ok." Xander sighed again, "Have a good night."

"You too."

I hung up before he could ask me anymore questions but suddenly the emotion of it all, the lying to my fiancé, and the realization that in about 7 months I was going to be someone's mother, it all just hit me and I began to sob uncontrollably.

"Peyton?" Brooke knocked on my door but didn't wait for an answer before flinging herself onto the bed and wrapping her arms around me for comfort, "Peyt? What's wrong?"

"I…" I couldn't even talk through my sobs, "I…I'm…"

"It's ok best friend. Calm down first then talk. You don't need to cry. I'm here." Brooke rubbed circles on my back as she continued to hold me to try and soothe me, "Whatever it is, it's gonna be fine."

I shook my head no and pulled back away from her, trying to control my tears.

"I'm…" It was still too hard to talk, "Brooke…"

Brooke looked so worried that it only made me cry harder, not wanting her to be worried about me but not being able to stop my tears.

"You can tell me anything Peyton. What's wrong?"

"I…" I took a deep breath and the tears subsided slightly, "I'm… pregnant."

Brooke's eyes were wide and her mouth had fallen open as she stared at me, clearly not sure what to say.

"Are you… are you sure?" She asked.

I nodded.

"I've been puking for weeks. I haven't had my period in two months. I took a test at Savannah's house and it was positive. I… I'm pregnant." I took another deep breath and waited for Brooke to say something.

"Wow." Brooke was clearly in shock, "Well… why didn't you tell me sooner Peyton? I would have been there for you! We could have taken a test together here. I mean… well… last year, when I wasn't talking to you because of the twisted bitch love triangle, um, I thought I was pregnant too so I've been there. I could have helped you."

"You thought you were pregnant?" I frowned, having never known this before now, "Brooke… why didn't you tell me?"

"I told Lucas and he told his mom but… it was just a scare. I ended up not being pregnant and… it was when we weren't on speaking terms so I just… I almost told you once and then, I was just so angry with you for the whole thing…" Brooke trailed off, "But that's not the point P. Sawyer. I am your best friend. You should have come to me with this. Does Xander know?"

I shook my head no, grabbing a pillow and hugging it while I pulled my knees up to my chest and sighed.

"Who does know? Savannah?"

"And Camille." I shrugged, "I didn't mean for either of them to find out before you or before Xander for that matter. When we were at Savannah's house a couple weeks ago… the night that you guys played strip poker, they kind of just guessed and I don't know, I was still coming to terms with it. I still AM coming to terms with it."

"I'm gonna be Auntie Brooke." Brooke was grinning from ear to ear, "Ok, so how far along are you exactly?"

"8 weeks." I said matter-of-factly, "I'm gonna try to get a doctor's appointment tomorrow so that I can go and like, get taken care of. I'm gonna tell Xander this weekend and… probably my dad too."

"Holy shit." Brooke's eyes got wide again, "Papa Peyton is not going to be happy about this."

"No, but at least he's cool with Xander now. I mean, can you imagine if this was when he didn't even want me to see Xander? He would have killed me! I mean, he still might, but… what else am I supposed to do? It's not like Xander and I can't afford to have a baby and we'll be good parents I think. I mean, I don't know about me, but I think he will be."

"You'll be an awesome mom." Brooke assured me, "You will be. I know it."

"Thanks." I smiled at her and then looked down at my toes, "I'm scared Brooke."

"I know." She moved over to sit next to me and put her arm around me, placing her head on my shoulder, "But just think, now you have me, Savannah, and Camille to lean on and we're going to love you no matter what. And when you tell Xander, he's going to be happy, I know it. He loves you so much."

"That's what everyone keeps saying."

"It's true." Brooke squeezed me gently, "I love you best friend."

"I love you too."

We were still sitting there, hugging each other, when my dad thundered upstairs and knocked on the open door before coming into the room, clearly in a great mood.

"Everything ok?" He asked us both.

"Yeah, we're good." Brooke answered, smiling over at me as I nodded that I was also "good."

"Good. I have news."

"News?" I raised my eyebrows at him and he smiled at me.

"How would you feel, and this is for both of you because Brooke you know that as far as I'm concerned you're my second daughter…"

Brooke giggled happily and got more comfortable on the bed, waiting for the rest of the question.

"How would you both feel if Karen and I were to get married?"

"What?" Brooke immediately blurted, "Oh my God. Then that would make Lucas my sort of but not really step brother because Karen's his mom and you're like my dad but not really my dad and…"

"Brooke." I was smiling over at her, "Calm down. It doesn't make you and Lucas related."

She took a quick breath and then shut her mouth, nodding at me and then at my dad.

"Peyton? How do you feel about it?" My dad turned to me waiting for the reaction I hadn't yet given him.

"I think it's good Dad." I smiled at him and I think this surprised him because he didn't say anything right away, "I mean, I know it's still a new concept for you, but pretty soon, I'm gonna be graduated from high school, and married, and out on my own."

I deliberately left out the part about making him a grandfather.

"It will be good for you to have someone and for Karen too. She's amazing and I really like her. I like that she makes you so happy and when Lucas leaves for college, she'll be alone too. You guys could fix that for each other."

He nodded and a smile began to grow on his face. He looked like he needed a hug so I motioned him to the bed where Brooke and I both wrapped him up in hugs.

"Did you ask her already?" I asked after a few minutes, us all still wrapped up together.

"Tonight." He responded as he pulled away and looked at both of us again, "She said yes."

"This is so exciting!" Brooke squealed, "Oh, I need to call Karen and ask her if I can design her wedding dress."

"Wait until tomorrow Brooke." My dad stopped her just as she jumped for the nearest cell phone, "She has to tell Lucas tonight and I want her to be able to do that peacefully, in case he's not as supportive as you two."

"Oh." Brooke nodded, her smile faltering slightly, "He likes you. I don't think he'll have a problem with it."

"There's a difference between liking someone who is dating your mother and being ok with that person marrying your mother. I just know that he kind of always expected his mom to marry Keith, didn't he?"

Brooke and I looked at each other then back to my dad.

"Yeah." We said at the same time.

My dad sighed, but he couldn't mask that he was still smiling.

"Ok, I'm gonna leave you two alone. I am gonna get some sleep and you two, have school, so you should too."

"It's like 9 o'clock." Brooke laughed but my dad gave her one look and she quickly turned serious, "Bed in ten minutes."

"That's what I like to hear. Goodnight girls."

"Goodnight Dad!" We chorused back, Brooke giggling when my dad turned around and winked before disappearing.

"Wow." Brooke turned to me and crinkled her nose as she laughed, "So you're pregnant and Papa Peyton is engaged to Karen! This has been a very eventful night."

Brooke jumped off the bed and headed for the door, stopping in the door frame to look back at me.

"You gonna be ok or do I need to sleep in here with you tonight?"

"I'm fine." I replied, waving her off, "Go to bed. I think it's probably better that I just have some time to think anyway."

"Alright, goodnight P. Sawyer."

"Goodnight B. Davis."

When Brooke was gone I stood, changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed, leaving the music playing in the background softly as I turned out the light and curled up to go to sleep. My mind began to race about all the new things in my life but before I had a chance to get too engrossed in my thoughts, my phone rang and I reached to grab it. Glancing at the caller ID I saw it was Xander again, so I answered it quickly.

"Hey you. Why aren't you back in bed?" I asked.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" He said which made my heart drop and my voice catch, making it impossible for me to answer, "Peyton?"

"Um…" How could he possibly know? Who had told him?"

"Peyton, answer me. Why didn't you just tell me that you're pregnant?"

"I… how did you find out?" I asked quietly, not ready to answer the question just yet.

He sounded hurt and maybe a little angry. I sat up in bed, already scared of where this conversation was going.

"When you want to have personal conversations with your best friend, you should turn off the webcam. I can read lips pretty well."

I looked up at the webcam, still recording my every move, and again I reminded myself that the thing was evil and I should never have turned it back on from a year ago when I had turned it off.

"Why didn't you tell me Peyton? We're engaged to be married in just a few months. You're supposed to love me."

"I do love you!" I answered quickly, "Xander, I do. I love you so much I just… I was just scared. I… I didn't want to tell you over the phone and I wasn't sure how you were going to react, so I just kind of put it off. I was going to tell you this weekend when you came into town. I promise."

"Not good enough." Xander snapped, "Peyton, I am your fiance! I… it's my baby too and I should have been the first to know. Not Brooke. Not Savannah. Not Camille!"

"I didn't mean to…"

"I'm not coming this weekend."

"What?" Suddenly the tears were threatening to spill over again as I sat, clutching the phone to my ear.

"I'm not coming this weekend. I need some time to think about this and I can't see you right now."

"Xander, please. I love you. I'm sorry." Now I was crying again, "Please. Don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to hurt you I was just…"

"Scared. Yeah, I got that." Xander sounded cold to me for the first time since I had met him and instead of relief that he knew about the baby now, my worst fears were all coming true, "I have to go Peyton. I'll… call you."

He hung up before I could even respond and I was left sobbing again, clutching a pillow and my silent phone to my chest. I didn't know what to do, or if there was anything I could do. I felt alone and frightened. I was incredibly frightened.

"Brooke?" I made my way to Brooke's dark bedroom and heard her turn over under the covers of her bed to look at me standing in the doorway.

I was still clutching my pillow and the tears still ran down my cheeks.

"Peyt? Is something wrong?" She flipped on the light and I could see the intense worry on her face, "Peyton? What happened? Come here."

I crawled into the bed with her and began to tell her about Xander, although I had no idea how she understood the story through my tears.

"Peyton…" She turned the light back out and hugged me, trying to soothe me, "It's gonna be ok Peyt. You can sleep here with me tonight and tomorrow, things will be ok."

"How can they be ok? He's mad at me. He's so mad at me and he has every right to be. I… I failed him."

"No. No, he loves you. He's just hurt right now." Brooke continued to hold me, "I promise, it will be ok. Just rest ok?"

I continued to cry but nodded ok.

I fell asleep there, Brooke holding me for comfort, thinking about how much I had screwed up and that if Xander didn't forgive me, my world would come crashing to an abrupt end.


	27. Chapter 25: Terms of Divorce

_**Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews my ever faithful readers. You guys rock. I'm starting on the next chapter right this very second, so review and Enjoy!!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Terms of Divorce**

**Nathan POV**

Savannah and I stood in front of the lawyers office but we didn't go in. It was like there was an invisible shield that wouldn't let me go inside. It was blocking my hand from opening the door and my foot from crossing the threshold.

"Nathan, I love you, but there are about a million things I need to be doing right now. I want to be here to help you through this best friend, but if we don't go inside soon, I'm going to have to leave you here."

"Sorry." I mumbled reaching up and grabbing the door handle to twist and open it slowly, "Come on."

We walked inside to the small front lobby of the lawyers office and Savannah went straight for the silver bell sitting on a ledge in front of a plexi-glass window in the corner. A moment later a receptionist appeared from around the corner looking completely flustered.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" She asked us.

"No." I quickly replied, "Um, I have an appointment. My name is Nathan Scott."

"I know who you are." The receptionist smiled sweetly at me, causing Savannah to raise her eyebrows in surprise, "I go to Tree Hill. I'm in your English class. This is just my after school job."

"Oh, right." I nodded and Savannah turned around to roll her eyes a little.

"Mr. Young will be right out if you just wanna have a seat."

"Thanks."

Savannah and I took a seat in the lobby. She grabbed a magazine, flipped through it quickly and then set it back down.

"I think she was flirting with you." She whispered to me, motioning towards the receptionist.

"Shut up." I nudged her, rolling my eyes as the thought of flirting made me want to throw up. Savannah giggled and sighed.

"I don't know what to do about Peyton and Xander."

"Can you do anything?" I asked her, frowning, "She's pregnant and she didn't bother to tell him. He has a right to be mad."

The news of Peyton's pregnancy reveal and subsequent fight with Xander had spread through our group like wildfire today. Peyton hadn't been at school, which was probably for the best, because none of us had known how to offer her any comfort at all. We were all still pretty stunned that she was even pregnant.

"No, I know that he has a right to be mad but to be so mad to hang up on her and cancel a visit? It's not like him Nate. I mean, he's my brother and I love him but Peyton's scared. She's a pregnant teenager and I'm sure she feels alone right now. It's not right for him to put her through that."

"It's not really our place to say what's right and wrong in that situation. We haven't been in it, so we can't judge." I replied.

Savannah pursed her lips and frowned.

"I've been there." She admitted, which surprised me because I didn't know of a time where she had been pregnant and I thought we told each other everything, "Back when Jackson and I were together, I was pregnant and I hadn't told him because I was scared and so I was considering getting an abortion or… something. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do but I knew I wasn't ready to be a mom. Luckily, I ended up miscarrying, so I didn't have to do anything I would have regretted."

"Why are you just now telling me this?"

Savannah shrugged.

"It's not something most people know about and I don't really like talking about it. Hell, I didn't even tell Peyton even though it would probably make her feel a little better."

"Maybe not. Then she'd be worried about miscarrying too."

"True." Savannah sighed, "I just feel like I should do something."

"You always feel like you should do something. You never stop helping all of us when we need you."

She smiled up at me and I put my arm around her.

"Don't worry about Peyton and Xander. I'm sure they are going to be just fine."

"Nathan Scott." A middle aged overweight balding guy came out from the double doors to our left and smiled at Savannah and I, "Come on in."

Savannah and I stood, following him into the room as he shut the doors behind us.

"Have a seat."

There was a large conference table in front of us so we took the nearest seats and let Mr. Young sit at the head of the table, looking at us caddy-corner.

"Ok, so who is getting a divorce? Not you two right? You look too happy together."

"No, just me or well, me and my wife Haley. She left me about three weeks ago." I wasn't sure how much he wanted to know, "She's a singer or was but is now… anyway, she left and went on tour."

Mr. Young was making notes on a yellow legal tablet as I spoke which sort of made me more nervous then I already was.

"Were you two fighting at the time? What made you decide on divorce?"

"Well, she left because she thought I had cheated on her.."

"My fault." Savannah raised her hand sheepishly, "See, I accidentally called her from Nathan's phone while I was having sex with my ex-boyfriend."

"I see." Mr. Young frowned at her but made some more notes, "So Haley left because she thought you had cheated because she got a phone call from your phone while this young lady was having sex with her ex-boyfriend?"

"My name's Savannah."

"Savannah…" Mr. Young noted it and then turned back to me, "Did you cheat?"

"No." I shook my head violently, "No. See, a few months ago, well at the beginning of the summer, Savannah moved to Tree Hill and we became friends and my wife thought that there was more going on the whole time, but there has never been anything between Savannah and I other than friendship. And then Savannah invited all of us to go to New York for the holiday um… three weeks ago and Haley didn't want to go but the rest of us went anyway…"

"Who is the rest of us?" Mr. Young asked as he continued to make notes.

"Um, me, my brother Lucas, his girlfriend Brooke, Savannah's brother Xander and his fiancé Peyton and then our friends Camille and Tim."

"Ok, so you all went to New York but Haley didn't go. Then what?"

"Well, Savannah and I had been talking one night and I had left my phone in her room and forgot to get it the next morning when we left the hotel so when Savannah and Bryan went back to her room…" I started to explain but Mr. Young interrupted.

"Bryan? You didn't mention him before…"

"Oh, well, he's Camille's brother. We met him while we were in New York but he didn't actually go with us." I said and Mr. Young made another note, "Anyway, so Savannah and Bryan went to her room that night to have sex and…"

"And I was using the bedside table where Nathan's phone was as support for while I was…um, on top." Savannah blushed a little and Mr. Young raised his eyebrows in surprise, "So I didn't see that his phone was there and I must have hit a button because we figured out the next day that I had accidentally called Haley."

"How did you figure that out?"

"Well, I flew back to Tree Hill because at the time I was required to take daily drug tests to stay on the school basketball team and so I flew back and stopped at my house first to get a dress that I wanted to wear in New York that night and I found Haley and her sister Taylor passed out in the foyer of my house."

"They had broken in?"

"They used the spare key that was hidden under the front mat." Savannah said simply.

"Ok." Mr. Young was still making notes and I was dying to know exactly what he was writing.

"So they were passed out in my foyer and when I tried to talk to them Haley said that she had heard Nathan and I having sex which confused me at first, but then I figured out what must have happened so I tried to explain to her but she slapped me so I asked her and Taylor to leave."

"She hit you? Did you press charges?"

"No." Savannah shook her head simply, "I… I didn't think about it. Her sister tried to beat me up too. I came away with a couple scratches but nothing major."

"Ok, go back. She slapped you and you asked them to leave…" Mr. Young backtracked for a second.

"So I asked them to leave and Taylor got in my face because she didn't want me talking to Haley I guess so I tried again to explain to Haley what had really happened but Taylor still didn't want me talking to Haley because she also believed I had slept with Nathan so she pushed me and then I fought back and we ended up fighting until Taylor got slammed into the wall and Haley finally decided it was time to leave."

"And what happened after that?" He asked both me and Savannah, waiting to see who would have the next part of the story.

"Well, I called Nathan to tell him what had happened but then Taylor and Haley were still outside and I didn't want to leave them there because Taylor was hurt pretty bad from the fight so I hung up with Nathan and offered them a ride home, hoping maybe I could still convince Haley that nothing had happened."

"You gave a ride to the girl you just fought and the girl who was accusing you of sleeping with her husband?" Mr. Young looked confused.

"Savannah has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met." I interjected, "She just doesn't stop caring about anyone, no matter how they've treated her and I know that she was worried about Haley and I's relationship, so she was trying to convince Haley nothing happened."

"Ok, so Savannah, you give them a ride but I'm guessing you weren't able to convince them?"

"No." She sighed, "Haley would not believe me and by the time I got back to New York and got Nathan on the plane back home and we got there to try to have him, me, and Lucas who is Haley's best friend explain what had really happened, she was gone. She had put all her things from their apartment into storage and skipped town."

"Where is she now?" Mr. Young directed this question only at me this time.

"Last I heard she was in Nashville but I'm sure she's not there now. Like I said, she's a singer and she's touring, so she could be anywhere." I sighed.

"Does she have a website? Tour anywhere online where we could find out her schedule at all?"

Savannah and I looked at each other and she hit her palm against her forehead.

"I feel like an idiot." She said, "Why did we never think to look?"

"I don't know." I replied and then turned back to Mr. Young, "We haven't looked."

He pulled open his laptop which was conveniently nearby and opened the web browser.

"Haley Scott?" He asked.

"Haley James-Scott or maybe just Haley James. I'm not sure what she uses anymore." I admitted.

He began to type and then sighed.

"Nothing came up. Who's she on tour with?"

"The Wreckers." Savannah volunteered.

He typed again and when he smiled I knew he must have found something.

"Ok, looks like there are 10 tour dates left on the tour, so we at least know where she is for the next week and I can try to contact her lawyer. Does she have a lawyer?"

"I have no idea." I shrugged, "I haven't spoken to her since she left. I don't even know if she knows I'm asking for a divorce. She won't talk to me at all. She only talks to my brother, Lucas, her best friend, and I told him to tell her I wanted a divorce but I don't know if he did."

"Ok, let's just go over a few simple things here." Mr. Young closed his laptop and set his hands in front of him, finally stopping the note taking, "It's going to be awhile before a judge will grant you a divorce. Unfortunately for you, you and your wife have to be separated for a year before the judge will sign your divorce papers and make them final."

"What? A year?"

"A year." He nodded and then continued, "You are not a candidate for annulment, so cross that off your list if you were thinking about asking. Annulments in the state of North Carolina are only granted between any two persons nearer of kin than first cousins, between double first cousins, between persons either of whom is under sixteen years of age, between persons either of whom has a spouse living at the time of the marriage, between persons either of whom is at the time physically impotent, or between persons either of whom is at the time incapable of understanding the marriage vows. None of those imply and you've been married longer than 45 days right?"

"Right." This whole day was starting to depress me, "I don't want to wait a year Mr. Young. There's nothing I can do? I'm 17, in high school and she's 17. We were 16 when we got married, does that count? Can we get the marriage annulled now because we were 16 when we got married?"

"No." Mr. Young shook his head, "Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. I'm sorry Mr. Scott. All we can do at this point is start the waiting period. We can file a legal separation, so that any debt she may incur or you may incur doesn't affect the other person as well as any property you may buy or she may buy wouldn't be considered joint in the divorce. Do you own anything together now? Have any children?"

"No. We had an apartment we were renting together but we've both moved out. I have my car. She has hers. I don't have any debt that I know of and I don't think she does either. Really, we're just kids. We never should have gotten married in the first place."

"Nathan." Savannah put her hand on my arm for comfort.

"I would suggest that you file for legal separation anyway." Mr. Young said, eyeing Savannah's hand on my arm, "You understand that under North Carolina law, if you participate in extramarital sex at any point while still married to Haley, you and your partner can be prosecuted?"

"What?" I didn't understand what he had just said.

"If you have sex with anyone or have had sex with anyone during your marriage to Haley, not only can she seek monetary damages from you she can also seek monetary damages from your partner. In fact, because she left you believing that you had sex with Savannah, she might have a case against you and Savannah anyway."

"Shut up. That's retarded." Savannah spoke up, "We didn't have sex. We're not having sex. We don't even have plans to have sex. We're friends and that's it!"

"North Carolina laws are tricky and maybe Haley won't dispute anything, but I just want you both to have all the facts before you make any decisions."

"Mr. Young, this has been enlightening and um, I'm going to think about all this and get back to you ok?" I couldn't hear another word. I already wanted to break anything in the room I could get my hands on and as he continued to talk my anger level was rising, "Savannah, let's go."

"Thank you for your time." Savannah shook Mr. Young's hand and followed me out of the office, catching the door before I slammed it once we got outside, "Nathan…"

"What the hell kind of laws make it where just believing your spouse cheated on you is grounds for monetary compensation?" I yelled, "From you and from me? We didn't do anything!"

"I know Nathan but… we need to know the facts. He gave us some of them and now we can do some research on our own and hey, you are already three weeks into your separation. The separation started the moment she walked out on you ok so you have a start to this whole process. Please don't be pissed off."

"It's bullshit Savannah. Complete bullshit." I headed for the car so that we weren't standing in front of the lawyers office yelling, "I need to go talk to Haley."

"Why?" Savannah unlocked the car by remote and we slipped inside, "What do you need to talk to her about?"

"I need to make sure she's not going to try anything like what the lawyer was talking about. I need to talk to her and make sure she's not going to try something stupid."

"Nathan, talking to her… I mean, what if she doesn't know about these laws and you just give her the idea? We didn't know about the law before today so maybe Haley doesn't either."

"But she will the second she talks to a lawyer!" I was so pissed off I could barely think straight as I slammed my hand on the dashboard and made Savannah jump, "I'm sorry. I… can you just take me home please?"

"Of course." Savannah headed the car towards our house and we rode silently the rest of the way.

My mind was racing to a million different conclusions, wondering what would happen? Wondering if Haley knew the laws we had just been informed of? Wondering if she would try to get money from me or from Savannah? I didn't have much to give but Savannah did and I didn't want her to have to give Haley a cent.

"We didn't do anything wrong." I said softly as we pulled into the driveway of the house, "Neither of us did a fucking thing and yet we could be the ones to have to pay for it."

"I really don't think she's gonna do something like that Nathan and… if she did, I'm sure that we could prove nothing happened and… just don't worry about it ok?"

"How can I not? I don't have anything to lose. I have no money. She could maybe take my car which is a piece of shit anyway. Nothing I have is worth anything but you… you don't deserve it."

"Thank you for looking out for me." Savannah put her hand on my arm and smiled at me, "But I can take care of myself. My dad has lawyers who would put her into the ground ok? Don't worry about this. One day at a time ok?"

I took a deep breath and tried to get my mind off of all the negative thoughts running through my head.

"Come on. I'll make you a drink."

We headed inside the house where we were immediately greeted with the sound of Peyton and Xander, screaming at each other loudly. Savannah looked to me and I looked upstairs towards the voices. We both took off running at the same time.

"You should have told me!" Xander screamed, "Dammit Peyton! All you had to do was tell me we needed to talk and I would have been on a plane here immediately! Hell, I offered last night to come and you told me no!"

"I'm sorry! I was scared Xander! Scared of your reaction and… clearly I was wrong to worry right?" Peyton was crying as we rounded the corner and found them in the hallway outside of Xander's room, "I just didn't want you to hate me. I didn't want you to not want the baby. I didn't even know if I wanted the baby. I just…"

"I wouldn't have reacted like this had you told me in the first place Peyton." Xander's voice wasn't quite as loud this time but he also wasn't reaching out to comfort her yet, "You could have just told me!"

"I'm telling you now! I can't take back not telling you first Xander. If I could, I would! I love you too much to hurt you like that but please, forgive me so we can go on from here because nothing is changing! I am still pregnant! I still love you! We're still engaged! I can't change it. I want to but I can't."

Savannah took a step forward to comfort Peyton since Xander wasn't, but I held her back. They hadn't yet realized we were watching and it was probably best that they didn't. They needed to figure this one out on their own. That much I knew.

"I love you too." Xander finally pulled Peyton into his arms and held her while she cried, "I'm sorry I yelled ok? I… I'm scared too Peyt. I was just hurt that you didn't feel like you could come to me with this. I mean, if you don't feel comfortable telling me you're pregnant with my baby, then we have some communication issues we need to work out don't you think? We can't get married if we don't know how to talk to each other."

"We don't have communication issues Xander. I just have trust and commitment issues." Peyton sighed, running her hands through her hair as her tears subsided, "I haven't had a lot of luck in the relationship department until you and I see a lot of children who have been abandoned. Lucas, Jenny… me."

"You? What are you talking about? That lady who said she was your mother? She hasn't come back since the beginning of the summer."

"Exactly. Not only did she give me up for adoption but she comes to tell me who she is and then disappears again." Peyton sighed, "I promise to be better ok? Just please don't hate me for this."

"I don't hate you." Xander pulled her back into his arms and held her tight, "How could I ever hate you? You're gonna be the mother of my child."

Peyton smiled and it was then that she looked over at us and rolled her eyes.

"How long have you two been standing there?"

Xander let go of Peyton and turned to see Savannah and I standing there, watching them.

"Eavesdroppers." Xander said.

"No need to eavesdrop. You were screaming when we came in the door." Savannah retorted as she went over and hugged them both, "I'm glad you guys made up. Does this mean I'm off the hook for going to the doctor's appointment with you?"

"Yeah." Peyton nodded, "Xander can go with me now. Right Xander?"

"Of course." Xander leaned down and kissed Peyton softly but then turned to Savannah, "You are not however off the hook for keeping this from me."

"Hey!" Savannah pouted, "I couldn't tell you. It wasn't my place."

"A quick, 'Hey Xander, Peyton needs to talk to you about something but she's scared. Maybe you should come to Tree Hill.' would have done the trick." Xander raised his eyebrow at Savannah who pursed her lips and rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Yeah, I guess I could have done that."

"So how'd it go with the lawyer?" Peyton asked and my anger, which had subsided, returned.

"Crappy." I frowned and Savannah waved me off, instead explaining to them everything the lawyer had said herself.

"That is crap." Peyton agreed with me, "I'll testify. You two did nothing wrong."

"Thank you." I nodded, "North Carolina law or some bullshit like that."

"We should all go on a road trip to see Haley and confront her, in a group, and tell her you demand a divorce immediately." Peyton suggested.

"Too bad I can't divorce her immediately. I have to wait a year!"

"Yeah, that's retarded." Peyton sighed, leaning on to Xander, and then groaning, "I think I'm gonna puke. Excuse me."

She disappeared, Xander watching her walk away with a worried expression before following her to make sure she was ok.

Savannah and I headed for her room where we both jumped onto her bed and laid looking up at the roof.

"Seriously Nate, you're going to be fine." Savannah reassured me, "A year from now you'll be divorced, in college, and you'll have a hot new girlfriend so that you forget all about Haley and the drama you're going through now. Life will be a lot less complicated and you'll look back on today and laugh at how silly it all was."

"I don't know about all that." I smiled over at her and grabbed her hand, entwining it in mine, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She scooted closer to me, squeezing my hand and laying her head against my shoulder, "You're the best friend a girl could ask for. You know that?"

"Sometimes I wonder." I admitted, "I mean, since I came into your life there's been nothing but drama and I've broken so many things in your house that I can never replace. I wonder sometimes if I'm worth the stress I must put on you."

"You don't stress me out." Savannah countered, "I can replace the things you break and if you breaking those things means that you get some of your stress out, I will gladly lose all my material possessions. As for the drama? Hello! Did I mention to you the my ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my friend who subsequently got pregnant and framed me for marijuana possession so I got kicked out of school and shipped to North Carolina? My life could be a primetime drama of it's own, thank you."

"Ok, well, you have a point." I agreed, "One day at a time right?"

"Right."

"Hey Nathan…" Peyton knocked on the door and entered the room, followed by Xander, "What would you think if I asked Karen to open Tric again?"

"Tric? What's that?" Savannah sat up, letting go of my hand which surprisingly made me miss her touch immediately.

"Tric is a club that Karen opened last year. I used to run the entertainment portion of it and it was a really great outlet for everyone. It's the only club in town that legally lets teenagers in where they can see great bands or just enjoy dancing and hanging out with their friends. She closed it when she left for New Zealand and I guess with everything that's been going on, she hasn't thought to open it again."

"You think she'll want to now that she's planning her wedding?" I asked, reminding Peyton that her dad had just gotten engaged to Karen.

"Well, I don't know but maybe she wouldn't have to do anything. I could take over entertainment again and maybe you guys could help out too? I mean, it would take your mind off of Haley right?"

"It would give me a job. I could stop living off of you." I said to Savannah who rolled her eyes at me.

"I'd love to help. That sounds like fun." Savannah volunteered, "But Peyt? Are you sure? I mean you still have your wedding to plan plus with the baby…"

"Actually, we just discussed it and we want to get married now instead of waiting." Peyton said quickly, looking up at Xander who smiled down at her, "We were thinking Vegas, next weekend."

"What?" Savannah's mouth fell open, "No. Seriously?"

"Well, we don't want to wait until I'm like huge and fat." Peyton laughed, "And this way we can focus more on the pregnancy and less on planning the wedding. It's more important to have a healthy baby than it is to have the dream wedding and honestly, I'm not one really for the big white wedding. I love Xander and he loves me so, why not just do it?"

Xander nodded, obviously feeling like he didn't need to add anything.

"Well…" Savannah looked a little crushed, "can we compromise? Will you let me throw together a quick nice wedding instead of like, wedding chapel in Vegas? We can still go to Vegas if you want but, something sophisticated. I can get Brooke's help and we can whip together something small but really nice."

"Can you have it ready by next week?"

"I can certainly try." Savannah was starting to smile, hoping that Peyton and Xander would say yes, "Please?"

"Let her do it." Xander told Peyton who inhaled deeply but then nodded her agreement.

"Yay!" Savannah jumped off the bed and hugged Peyton and Xander, "Thank you so much. I'm going to need your guest lists immediately."

"Um, you, Nathan, Brooke, Tim, Camille, Bevin, Lucas, my dad, Karen, maybe the guys from the Rivercourt." Peyton smiled, "That's all for me."

"Same." Xander said, "Our dad would be nice too."

"Who's your best man?" Savannah asked, quickly running to grab a pad of paper so she could jot down notes.

"Uh…" Xander looked at me, "Bryan I guess, so we'll have to invite him."

"Do I have to?" Savannah frowned.

"Savannah!" Peyton scolded, "I thought you were going to go see him this weekend anyway."

"You were?" Xander and I asked at the same time.

"I hadn't decided." Savannah replied quickly, "Fine. Bryan, best man. Brooke maid of honor?"

"Yes." Peyton said with a smile.

"Anyone else in the wedding party?"

"You, Nathan, Tim, Camille, Bevin, and Lucas." Peyton repeated for the second time in two minutes.

"Alright, so all the guests will be in the wedding." Savannah was grinning from ear to ear, "I have a lot of work to get done. All of you, leave me."

"Why me?" I asked.

"I need to concentrate." She shooed us all out of her room, "Love you bye."

Out in the hallway, the door shut in our faces, Peyton and Xander walked away laughing together but I was left alone. In times like this, when I had a lot on my mind and no one to talk to, there was only one place to go. The Rivercourt.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had a lot on his mind as I found Lucas already shooting baskets furiously when I arrived.

"Hey." I called out to him, grabbing the rebound from a shot he missed, "What's up?"

"Just needed to get some frustrations out." Lucas caught the rebound from the shot I missed and looked over at me, "You?"

"Same." I shrugged, "You talked to Haley lately?"

Lucas frowned at me but nodded.

"Yeah. She's in Detroit I think tonight. Why?"

"I talked to a lawyer today, about the divorce." We continued to trade missed shots, neither of us able to sink a basket when we were thinking about things apparently.

"And? You still going through with that?"

"Yeah, but in North Carolina, we have to be separated for a year first, and we don't qualify for an annulment so I have no choice. I have to wait a year."

"Sucks for you." Lucas finally shot and made the basket so I bounced the ball back to him, "So what do you need to talk to Haley about?"

"There are some other North Carolina laws that seem a little crazy to me, but may apply to our case and I need to make sure she's not going to try anything."

"Try anything like what?" Lucas stopped dribbling and looked at me.

"Like sue Savannah and I to get money claiming we cheated which made her leave me."

Lucas laughed one good laugh and then shot the ball.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"It's North Carolina law. Apparently she could try it and while I have nothing for her to take, Savannah could lose a lot, and I don't think that's fair."

"You should talk to Haley." Lucas finally agreed, "I don't see her trying anything like that though. She's pretty upset about the whole situation as it is. Maybe if you two talk it will make you both feel better."

We didn't say anything for a minute and I was finally able to knock down a shot.

"So what are you so pissed off about?"

"I'm not pissed off." Lucas replied, "Just frustrated."

"About what?"

He groaned loudly and held the ball, moving to sit at the courtside picnic table and I followed.

"My mom and Larry Sawyer." Lucas shook his head as if he were disappointed, "It's not that I don't like Larry you know? He's a good guy for my mom to date, but to marry? I guess I just kind of always thought my mom and Keith would get married and now… well, she hasn't told Keith yet that she's engaged, but I just see him being so crushed. After he asked her to marry him last year, and she said no, he almost moved to Charleston."

"And you with him." I reminded him.

"And me." Lucas nodded, "I just don't want to see him get hurt again you know?"

"Yeah." I thought about my mom still being married to my dad and the thought occurred to me that I should go check on her, because I hadn't seen her in awhile and she was probably miserable, "But your mom is happy man. You wouldn't want that to go away would you?"

"No." Lucas sighed, "I love that she's happy and she's happy with Larry. He is a good guy I just… I'm confused I guess."

I understood the confusion. I was always confused these days. Confused about how I got to where I was in my life. Confused about where I was going with my life. Confused about why things worked the way they did.

Lucas's cell phone began to ring and he looked at it then handed it to me.

"You want to talk to her? Now's your chance."

The caller ID said Hales. He was right. Now was the only chance I was going to get so I answered the phone.

"Hello."


	28. Chapter 26: Nothing Else to Say

_**Author's Note: Alright, I got a couple reviews for the last chapter and I'm pretty dang excited about this chapter so I'm gonna go ahead and post it. This might be the last one for the weekend (maybe not, I'm writing the next one now but my mom comes into town tomorrow so I might not get it finished before then). Please review anyway! I really love hearing from you guys and I'd love to know what you think of all the insights into the characters minds we've had in the last few chapters, specifically this one as you finally get to see how Haley is dealing with her stupidness. Oh, additionally, the song used in this chapter is 'Goodbye' by Miley Cyrus. Listen to it if you can when you read that part. It's from her Breakout cd and of course, I have no rights to her music so yeah... ENJOY!!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Nothing Else to Say**

**Haley POV**

"Um… Nathan?" I was surprised to hear Nathan's voice. So surprised that I had to look down at my cell phone to make sure I had called the right number. The phone said I had called Lucas but why had Nathan answered?

"Hi." Nathan said simply, "Lucas handed me the phone so that I could talk to you. Since you don't return my calls and I needed to talk to you, we figured this was the only way."

"Oh." I nodded even though he couldn't see me, "Ok. Hi."

There was an awkward silence, obviously neither of us knew what to say to the other. I wanted to apologize for not returning his phone calls, but it wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him, I just didn't know what to say. After I left I had a million questions. I wanted to know what had really happened. I wanted to know if he would forgive me for leaving. I wanted to figure out if I could forgive him for something he may not have even done. I figured out too late that there was no way they were all lying to me about Nathan and Savannah. In the end my paranoia over them had gotten the best of me, and we all ended up hurting. I hadn't wanted to hurt him but I knew I had.

"Listen, I went to see a lawyer today." Nathan suddenly blurted, "About the divorce."

Lucas had said Nathan wanted a divorce but I was hoping he had been wrong about that. Even though my head told me our marriage wasn't going to get through this whole ordeal, my heart couldn't let go.

"Oh, ok." I nodded again and mentally cursed myself for not having some better response, "So um… do I need to get a lawyer?"

"In North Carolina, we have to be separated for a year before any judge will grant us a divorce so it looks like we're stuck for the next 344 days but um… my lawyer told me some other stuff about North Carolina and for this to all be fair, I think you should talk to a lawyer too, so you have all the facts."

"You could just tell me." I suggested but I heard Nathan huff at the idea, "Or not. I can talk to a lawyer if I need to. That's fine."

"I just want to ask one thing, and it's going to sound weird, but I need you to agree to this and not go back on your word ok?"

His voice was so cold and distant. He sounded a million miles away, and he might as well have been. His heart certainly was.

"Ok." I responded.

"Leave Savannah out of this. You're going to find out some things that you may have as options but please, whatever your lawyer tells you, just leave her out of it. She didn't do anything and she doesn't deserve to have to pay for our issues."

"Uh… ok." He was right. That did sound like a weird request, "I uh, heard that you moved in with her."

Once I said it I knew I shouldn't have. It made me sound like I was still jealous, which I was, but for completely different reasons than I had been just three short weeks ago.

Then it was the flirting, and the possibility of cheating. Now it was the closeness and the bond that they shared. It was him being able to tell her anything but not being able to tell me anything. It was them sharing a life when I should have been the one sharing his life. I knew they were just friends, although my heart told me that eventually they would be more, regardless of what they said now.

"We're just friends Haley." Nathan snapped.

"No, I know." I quickly replied, "I know that now. I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like I was upset about you moving in there. I'm not mad about it. I'm relieved actually. I'm glad someone is there for you. The fact is Nathan, I know I made a big mistake leaving like I did. I should have listened every time you told me you were just friends and every time someone reassured me that you loved me and would never hurt me. I should have listened when Savannah told me that morning that it wasn't you but Nate, I was hurting a lot and I guess I just couldn't listen. I'm so sorry."

"Fine." Nathan said simply, "Your apology means nothing to me Haley. Fine, you're forgiven, but we will never ever be able to go back to what we had before. It's one thing for you to leave to pursue your dream. I could forgive that. I did forgive that. This is not you leaving to pursue your dream. This is you leaving for… no reason. You were hurt? Did you even think about how I felt, knowing that I did nothing wrong, and losing you anyway? I loved you Haley, with all my heart and I would have done anything for you. Now, we're just done."

I couldn't blame him. It hurt to hear him say that we wouldn't ever be able to go back to the way we were. It hurt more for him to say loved in the past tense as though he had already moved on. But as much as it hurt me, I could take responsibility for screwing up, and I knew ultimately, I had hurt him more.

"I gave up on you." I admitted, "I gave up on you for no reason and so I completely understand you giving up on me. I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt me, but I can understand it. You didn't deserve me leaving like I did. If I could have come home when I found out the truth, I would have, but I couldn't for two reasons."

I paused to see if he was going to ask what the two reasons were. Maybe he wouldn't want to hear them.

"What two reasons?" He asked quietly.

"Well, the first reason was because I signed a contract. The tour was so worried that I would skip out on them like I did the first time, they made me and at first it seemed like the right decision. Then I wanted to come home and I couldn't because I knew, even if I did, you would never forgive me."

"I told you Haley, I forgive you. Believe it or not, I understand why you would have thought what you thought and I understand why you couldn't hear the truth from Savannah, even though she told you before you left, but it doesn't change anything. You still made the decision to leave. You didn't answer my phone calls. You didn't wait for me to try to explain. You just left and that I can forgive but I can't forget the pain you caused."

The pain was apparent in his voice and I could feel the tears working their way to the surface in my eyes. I had never wanted to cause him so much pain.

"You remember when we said always and forever?" He asked and it sounded like he might start crying too.

"Of course." I wiped away the first tear that fell.

"I will always love you." Nathan sniffled a little, "I can just never be with you."

"I'll always love you too." I choked out, the tears falling freely now, "God, you will never know how sorry I am for hurting you."

Nathan sighed, clearly unsure of how to reply.

"I'm gonna go." He finally said, "I'll give the phone back to Lucas because I just… I don't have anything else to say."

I couldn't say goodbye. Goodbye felt too final, like I would never talk to him again. I couldn't say talk to you later, because I knew it wasn't true. I had nothing to say.

"Hales?" Lucas's voice replaced Nathan's and I felt the loss immediately, like a part of my life had just ended, and in a way I guess it had.

"Yeah?" I squeaked, trying to wipe away the tears.

"That was hard just to listen to. Are you ok?"

"No." I replied honestly, "This is so hard Lucas. What have I done? I'm the most horrible person in the world aren't I?"

"No." Lucas sighed, "You're not horrible Haley. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. This is a big one but, you can't take it back now. It is what it is."

I forced myself to stop crying, wiping away the tears and sniffling loudly.

"Tell me what's going on with you." I said, "I need to be distracted."

"Well, I have a really good one for you." Lucas laughed a little, "My mom, got engaged last night."

"What?" That was the last thing I had expected him to say, "You're joking right?"

"No. Not joking." Lucas was still laughing, "Larry proposed. She said yes."

"Oh my God Luke. Well…" I calmed down a little and sighed, "How do you feel about it?"

"I don't know how to feel Haley. I like Larry. He's a good guy but I just…"

"Always thought your mom would end up with Keith." I finished his sentence for him, "Yeah, me too kind of. It's kind of funny though I mean, you're gonna be Peyton's step brother and you know, back in the day when you totally wanted her…"

"Yeah, thanks Hales. That helps." Lucas responded sarcastically, but I knew he wasn't upset, "Peyton's pregnant by the way."

"She's… seriously?" Everything was happening to my friends and people I considered family and I wasn't even there to see it, "How'd Xander take it?"

"Not good. She wasn't at school today so I haven't seen her but from what I understand, she told Brooke about it in her room, forgetting that the webcam was on, and he was watching from Spain, so he saw her talking about it. Turns out Brooke, Camille, and Savannah all knew before he did."

"Ouch." I frowned, "That has to suck. I wish I knew if she was ok. I would call her but I know they're all mad at me for leaving."

"They're not mad Haley. They're all hurt. You're my best friend Hales so I can forgive you for leaving me but you haven't even called them once. You don't answer anyone's phone calls but mine. It's kind of a slap in the face to Brooke and Peyton and Nathan…"

"I wish I could make it better." I sighed.

"You can try Haley. You're not even trying! You could try calling and apologizing to them. I bet they would forgive you. Hell, Nathan just said he forgives you and he was the one hurt the most."

"Lucas! I… I just feel like I messed up so much that I can't even begin to repair the friendships that I've abandoned. It's like, I know I hurt so many people when I left but I don't know where to start."

"Start with a phone call Haley."

"I didn't call so that you could make me feel bad ok Luke? I'm kind of hurting here too ok? Right now I just can't deal with all that stuff."

"Haley…" Lucas sounded upset and it was weird that I suddenly felt semi at peace with Nathan and yet now I was fighting with Lucas, "They're your friend Hales. They aren't stuff. I'm not stuff to deal with ok? I love you but I think maybe you should get your priorities straight, then call me."

"Lucas, please don't do this. I'm sorry ok. I'm stressed and we're on the road. I haven't had much sleep."

"No more excuses Haley. We deserve better than that." Lucas yelled.

I couldn't believe that our conversation had taken such a violent turn for the worse. We were suddenly at odds and I wasn't even sure how we had gotten here. We were just talking a second ago about his mom and Peyton and now here we were, yelling at each other.

"Fine Lucas, I'm just gonna get off the phone now."

"Fine!"

"Fine!" I hung up on him and threw the phone across the bus, almost hitting one of the members of my newly formed band who happened to be walking by at the time, "Oh my god, Ben, I am so sorry."

"It's ok." Ben picked up my phone from where it landed on the couch across from me and handed it back, "You want this?"

"Not really. No one wants to talk to me anymore." I laughed, half sarcastically.

"I'm sure that's not true." He had his guitar with him and he began to absently strum a tune I had never heard, "Who were you just talking to?"

"My best friend…" I sighed, "Lucas. He's mad at me. Well, everyone at home is mad at me these days and I guess I don't really blame them, it's just that Lucas has always been different."

"He's not your um…" Ben pointed at his ring finger and I looked down at my wedding ring, quickly grabbing it and playing with it nervously.

"No. Not Lucas." I smiled and rolled my eyes, "Nathan. He's Lucas's brother actually. Younger by three months."

"Is that even possible?" Ben raised his eyebrows at me, continuing to play the song that was quickly grabbing my attention.

"It's possible when your dad is a man whore like theirs is." I explained, "What song are you playing?"

"It's not really a song yet." He responded as he stopped playing, "Well, it will be but I've just had this melody in my head that I can't get out and so, I don't know. I just play it, hoping words will come to me."

"Can you play it again? The melody is beautiful."

"Oh, um… yeah." He began to strum out a few notes. He played it slow at first, switching between two chords repeating for what would be the perfect area for a first verse. After repeating for a little bit he switched to a little faster strum and I could almost hear it going into the chorus where he strummed like he could hear it too, closing his eyes. A few words began to come to me.

"Ben. Can you start again from the beginning?"

He nodded and started again.

"I can honestly say, you've been on my mind, since I woke up today." I sang along with the beat, "I look at your photograph all the time. These memories come back to mind… wait."

He stopped and looked up at me with a smile.

"That sounded good. Why'd you stop?"

"That line needs something. Hold on." I jumped up to grab my song journal from where I kept it under my pillow and hurried back, opening to a blank page so I could jot down what I had just started, "These memories come back to mind… take me back in time… come back to life…"

"Come back to life." Ben added his input, "Try it from the beginning with come back to life."

He started again from the top and I again began to sing.

"I can honestly say, you've been on my mind, since I woke up today. I look at your photograph all the time. These memories come back to life." I smiled at him when it rolled off my tongue very easily, "And I don't mind."

He began to play it faster where it would be the chorus and I had to think for a second, looking down at my song journal. I was kind of pulling this song out of nowhere and yet from my experiences too. Maybe it would be best to just think about what I remembered of Nathan. If I was being honest with myself, this song was already going to be about him.

"Kiss… lips…" I wrote down words that came to my head and tried to put lyrics together, "Simple things… cry…"

I knew Ben was watching me but I couldn't get nervous now. This song was coming to me and it seemed to just flow. I couldn't stop just because I was embarrassed to let anyone see me write a song.

"Ben, you have any ex girlfriends?"

"Tons." He laughed with a sort of melancholy tone, "One in particular. Why?"

"What do you remember about her?"

"Um… well, there was this one time… we were in high school and we were supposed to go to the prom, but she got sick with the flu and couldn't go. She told me to go anyway but I wasn't going to go without her. The point was to be with her so instead, I went to her house and we watched movies together and at the end of the night I asked her to dance with me, which she did, but there was no music. We always used to talk about dancing with no music."

That was a really good story. It would work perfectly so I didn't say anything but grinned as I jotted down some more notes.

"Anything else?"

"Well, after we broke up, I remember hearing our song all the time and singing along to it, even though it hurt so much listening to it that… I shouldn't admit this, but I wanted to cry. It killed me."

I was still taking notes and his story reminded me to add some notes of my own.

"Those are really perfect for how I'm hearing the song in my head. Give me one second."

That one second turned into hours and before I knew it we were huddled around my song journal, sitting on the couch, Ben strumming his guitar, and me singing our newly written song.

"I can honestly say, you've been on my mind, since I woke up today. I look at your photograph all the time. These memories come back to life. And I don't mind."

He sped up for us to go into the chorus.

"I remember when we kissed. I still feel it on my lips. The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. I remember those simple things. I remember 'til I cry. But the one thing I wish I'd forget. The memory I wanna forget… is goodbye."

Ben smiled at me and encouraged me to keep going, although as we got further into the song, I could feel my tears starting to form.

"I woke up this morning and played our song. And through my tears I sang along. I picked up the phone and then put it down. 'Cause I know, I'm wasting my time. And I don't mind."

The guitar sped up a bit and we went back into the chorus.

"I remember when we kissed. I still feel it on my lips. The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. I remember the simple things. I remember 'til I cry. But the one thing I wish I'd forget. The memory I wanna forget…"

He played a little guitar solo as we geared up to go into the final verse, sang with more emotion than ever as the tears ran freely down my cheeks.

"Suddenly my cell phone's blowin' up, with your ringtone. I hesitate but answer it anyway. You sound so alone. And I'm surprised to hear you say…"

The guitar and my voice both dropped to almost a whisper. My words are more spoken then sung. I probably couldn't have sung if I wanted to through the tears.

"You remember when we kissed? You still feel it on your lips? The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. You remember the simple things. We talked 'til we cried. You said that your biggest regret. The one thing you wish I'd forget…"

I sang the last line with no guitar and almost choked on the words.

"Is saying goodbye."

Ben finished with one last guitar solo and when he had hit the last note he turned to me, clearly ecstatic, setting his guitar down and hugging me. I wanted to be happy, inside I was screaming that it was awesome we had just written a song, but I couldn't stop crying.

"Haley, that was amazing."

"Thanks." I tried to stop the tears and wipe them away, "I'm sorry I'm being such a baby it's just… It's hard."

Ben nodded.

"Your husband. He left you? I mean, I don't want to pry but…"

"No." I stopped him, sniffing up my tears, "No. He didn't leave me. I left him. I left him behind and it was the biggest mistake of my life."

Ben frowned, obviously not sure what to make of that little revelation.

"Why did you leave him?" He asked.

I hesitated to answer, because the truth sounded stupid even in my head. The truth was stupid. I had been stupid but I couldn't take it back. It was history and it could not be rewritten.

"The truth is, I left him because of a misunderstanding. I thought he cheated on me. He didn't, but I didn't trust him, so I signed on to get on this tour and, left. I left him, my friends, my life, high school…"

"Whoa. Shut up! You're still in high school?"

"Yeah." I nodded and managed a smile, "A senior. I'll be 18 in a couple months."

"How are you married then?"

This time I laughed.

"Oh, that is a long story."

"I have all night." Ben raised his eyebrow at me and snuggled into the couch cushions like he was getting comfortable, "Enlighten me. It sounds like you need to get a lot off your chest anyway."

He had a point. I did have a lot to get off my chest and it didn't hurt if he was willing to listen.

"Well, it started last year. Lucas and Nathan share the same dad…"

As I told him the whole sordid story about Dan, Lucas joining the basketball team, Nathans hazing and the way we began our relationship, it was actually lifting a huge weight off my shoulders. It felt good to have someone listen to my story. To have someone to share my side of everything with and somehow I knew he wasn't going to judge me.

"What town did you say you were from?" Ben asked as I was nearing the end of my story several hours later.

"Tree Hill, North Carolina." I responded, "We're like a dot on a map, sometimes not even a dot. Usually you have to zoom way in on mapquest to find us."

"Well, it is a very tiny world then. Did you happen to know a Jake Jagielski?"

My mouth fell open and I sort of laughed.

"Uh, yeah. He played basketball with Nathan and Lucas. Has a small daughter named Jenny with a crazy bitch named Nikki?"

Ben laughed hard at that line.

"Nikki's my sister." Ben suddenly blurted, still laughing, "This tour suddenly just got a lot more interesting."

My mouth fell open and I was left completely speechless. There was nothing else to say.


	29. Chapter 27: A Photo Shoot, an Ex and

_**Author's Note: Alright, so I was finally able to get this chapter written. I like how it's come out, sort of setting up the next few chapters. I know there are kind of a lot of storylines floating around within the story, but I promise I will tie them all up. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see, cause I will more than likely include it in some way. I almost considered holding this one back but... you guys waited long enough. :) Enjoy! **__**Once again, review or else you'll have to wait for the next chapter longer! **_

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**A Photo Shoot, an Ex, and Wedding Plans**

**Savannah POV**

Saturday morning was cold and I was tired. I had stayed up almost all night the night before with Brooke trying to iron out the details of Peyton and Xander's wedding. Brooke was a wreck trying to get the dress finished, but more than that, we still had to coordinate everyone and everything and make it perfect.

Karen had volunteered to cater, since there wouldn't be that many people anyway. She was even going to make the wedding cake and had agreed that we could have the reception at Tric. Tric had actually turned out to be a really, really cool venue. Peyton was still working on getting Karen to agree to open it to the public again, but it was going to work perfectly for the wedding reception.

Mouth was going to DJ the whole party. I had found an online retailer who had actually been able to get an ice sculpture for us and would be able to drive it, keeping it in one piece, from Charlotte a few hours away to be delivered during the wedding but just before the reception.

I had hired a local store to create all the table decorations to have them delivered to us in a couple of days. Brooke and I were going to have to decorate the tables ourselves, but everything we needed would already be included.

The tuxes for all of the guys were luckily found easily in the local mall tux shop and they had all been fitted and altered to the specifications we needed. The only person who did not have his tux was Bryan, and I hadn't even been able to get a hold of him yet, so as soon as Bevin, Camille, Brooke and I went to the mall after my photo shoot to try on bridesmaid dresses, I was driving to Chapel Hill, much to my chagrin.

"Good morning Savannah. My name is Lisa. I'm the photographer's assistant. We've already set up a little tent for you here with hair, makeup, and wardrobe. Head on in and when you're ready, let me know and we'll get you onto the first set ok?"

"Uh… ok." I had no idea what I was doing but it sounded alright, "Right over here?"

There were three small white tents set up right in the middle of the football field of Tree Hill High. This location had worked best to keep the production out of the limelight of most prying eyes and yet was big enough to set up all the production equipment. I wasn't sure where we would actually be shooting, but I figured I would find that out soon enough.

"Hey there gorgeous. I'm Tyler!" The flamboyant makeup artist approached me and shook my hand, "Have a seat."

I sat in the indicated chair in front of the large mirror and waited for further instruction. I was still so lost in the whole process but I figured he knew what he was doing so he could tell me what to do.

"Alright, Carlyne has this whole vision so just sit back. We're going to take care of you." He started by staring at my face and for a second I wasn't sure what he was doing. Then he smiled and pulled out tweezers, "Just want to make sure you are symmetrical."

After he tweezed a few stray eyebrow hairs he began by matching my face with a foundation and then airbrushed it on. I had never seen or had this done but it was very cool. With the foundation perfectly applied he could begin on my eyes, cheeks, and then lips.

"Ok, you are perfect." Tyler twirled me to stare at myself in the mirror, "What do you think?"

My eyes were heavily lined and dark but still seemed elegant as they were paired with very light rose blush and instead of color on my lips, just a light pink gloss.

"I love it. You want to do my makeup everyday?"

"I'd love to darling, but sadly, I cannot." Tyler winked, "Off to wardrobe you go then my darling. Have fun!"

I was met outside the tent by Lisa who escorted me to wardrobe where they quickly outfitted me in a bronze sable-trimmed leather coat by Fendi, Sergio Rossi embroidered leather boots, and Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry.

As soon as I was fitted they dragged me to the third and final tent, hair.

"Wow." The hairdresser, Paula, ran her fingers through my hair, flipping it forward and backwards, "You have amazing hair. Have you ever dyed it?"

"Not really, no. I used to highlight it but I haven't in awhile."

"Good. Dye is horrible for you. Besides, look at this. You have beautiful natural gold highlights. We're just going to spritz you and then let you go. This hair, sadly, doesn't need my help at this time."

When Paula had finished "spritzing" my hair, Lisa showed up with a golf cart and whisked me away to the first set, which ended up being in front of the City Hall building at the riverfront. Lisa quickly introduced me to Carlyne who told me where she wanted me and that was the beginning.

She took several pictures of me, directing me a little but for the most part just told me to move, as she wanted to capture motion.

This first part of the photo shoot was tough. Although I was warm inside my jacket, it was the beginning of December in Tree Hill so it was cold and I could feel myself stiffen during certain shots. Since this was my first photo shoot, I still didn't know what I was doing. I felt awkward.

"That's beautiful!" The art director shouted suddenly, "That's the shot we need."

Carlyne smiled, looked at the photo on the screen her camera fed to and she nodded, which was Lisa's cue to shuffle me into the golf cart and back to wardrobe to change and have my hair and makeup touched up.

"This is not as easy as I thought it would be." I remarked as the wardrobe crew stuffed me into brown corduroy studded pants by 7 for All Mankind, a MaxMara beaded silk shell top, a Missoni lamb coat with fox trim and Mahnolo Blahnick fur trim brown shearling knee high boots.

"You have it easy." One of them told me, "Most girls don't have their portfolio's being shot by world renowned photographers nor do they have stylists, wardrobe, and makeup provided.

"Yeah?" I wasn't sure how it usually worked. My dad had set this all up for me.

"Usually they do their own makeup, find a struggling photographer, whatever they can afford, and buy the closest thing they can find to designer, definitely not Mahnolo and Missoni. Hell, these boots you are wearing are 1500 on their own."

"Oh, I know. I have them in black." I smiled down at my boots and one of the stylists smiled at me.

"See, you are a lucky girl."

They accessorized me again in Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry and I was whisked right back to set, which had changed direction so that I was standing closer to the street, cars driving behind me.

"Have fun with it Savannah." The art director yelled as Carlyne snapped photos, "Get some attitude."

As they paused between photos they whispered and looked through the shots. A couple times some assistants ran over to me and interchanged different handbags.

"You are amazing." The art director smiled over at me, "You'll be working professionally in no time gorgeous."

We continued doing short shoots in various locations downtown, including in front of Karen's café where Karen came out and gave everyone on set free coffee or hot chocolate of their choice. It was mid-afternoon before I was finished and by that time I was already exhausted.

"Oh my goodness, modeling is so hard." I collapsed at a table where the rest of the group, minus Xander who was back in Spain, was sitting at Karen's, "Cammie, when's your first shoot?"

"Tomorrow." She replied sipping her iced latte, "You had Carlyne today?"

"Yeah, she's awesome. Her art director kept telling me I was fabulous." I flipped my hair and laughed, "I'm just so tired. I went through at least 8 wardrobe changes. Everything was fur. Fur coats, fur boots, fur everything."

"Real fur?" Bevin's eyes got wide, "That's so sad."

"I'm just modeling it Bevin. Don't look at me like I killed the fox myself." I shrugged, "We need to get going to try on bridesmaids dresses so that I can head to Chapel Hill for… the night, I guess."

"Does Bryan know you're coming?" Nathan asked me as the rest of the group just stared, waiting for the answer.

"I don't know." I shrugged again, "I've been trying to call him all week and he doesn't answer and since Xander wants him for his best man, I have to just show up. I have no choice."

"I'd offer to go with you, but just in case he's happy to see you, I'd rather not be around." Brooke laughed.

"No, it's fine. I can handle it and besides, there are a few things in Chapel Hill I need to get for the wedding." I eyed Peyton who smiled.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like stuff." I replied mysteriously, "You don't want to plan your wedding then I have full control. No questions. Come on girls, seriously, I have a long afternoon ahead of me."

Peyton, Brooke, Camille, and Bevin stood to join me. Brooke kissed Lucas goodbye quickly and then followed the rest of us out of the café.

"Mall?" I asked as the five of us piled into my car, "Camille la Vie?"

There was a store in the mall that specialized in wedding dresses and formal wear that I assumed would be the first place we were going to stop.

"No. I looked there already and they don't have anything pretty." Brooke responded quickly, "Let's try Macy's first. They're bound to have something, don't you think?"

"Fine by me."

I drove us to the mall which was only a few minutes away and we parked by Macy's, the five of us walking in together with a purpose. We went straight for the "bridal party" section and began the search.

"This is pretty." Bevin held up a cocktail length hot pink strapless dress and the rest of us cringed.

"Maybe for a party. Not for my wedding." Peyton vetoed the dress, "Keep looking."

"This one is nice." Brooke held up a long cream colored satin Calvin Klein gown with a molded top and criss-crossed back straps, "If it comes in a different color."

"It does." I held up the same dress in a chocolate brown, "Not that this is an improvement. I like the dress. I hate the colors. Look, brown, purple, green, or black."

"You guys can wear black. I'm ok with it." Peyton smiled at us and we all rolled our eyes at her.

"I like this one." Camille held up a silk strapless bubble dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was about knee length for a normal height person, which meant it would be mid thigh for Camille and I, but it was cute and it was red, which was a color we all approved of, "Do they have enough for all of us to try one?"

Camille pulled out the sizes for each of us and handed us each one. We kept looking, hoping to find more than one dress to try on at a time.

"Why does everything only come in black or purple?" Brooke complained, "I don't like these color choices."

"It's too bad we don't have more time. I could probably have designer dresses custom ordered for us." I looked to Peyton who shrugged and smiled.

"I don't need you guys to wear designer dresses. For all I care you can wear sweat pants."

"Eww." Brooke rolled her eyes, "Isn't there a mall that has like a Jessica McClintock store in Chapel Hill or something? I mean, you have all our sizes. You could pick something out while you're in Chapel Hill."

"I guess I could. Hit the mall tomorrow before I come home. I could take pictures and send them to you on your phone." I volunteered.

"Yeah." Brooke was grinning, "Let's try this one on but if it doesn't work, you go to Jessica McClintock tomorrow ok?"

"Ok."

The dress ended up being way too short for Camille and I, so we had to pass although it looked fabulous on Brooke and Bevin.

"Ok, so I will see what I can find tomorrow. So much for shopping today." We all headed together back to the car after shopping for only an hour, "Shall I take you all back to the café?"

"Yeah, my car is there." Peyton replied.

"Mine too." Bevin sighed, "It's Saturday night ya'll. Why are we heading home?"

"Because I have to go to Chapel Hill." I volunteered.

"Because I have a photo shoot tomorrow and I need my rest." Camille added.

"Because Karen's staying at Peyton's house tonight so I can go stay with Lucas." Brooke giggled.

"Gross." Peyton frowned, "I'm going home because Karen won't let me re-open Tric so I have nothing better to do. I'm pregnant and tired and bored essentially."

"Maybe it's better that you wait until after the baby to re-open Tric." I said, "I mean, it's a great idea, but it would probably put stress on you and being pregnant at your age already increases chances of complications."

Peyton glared at me and didn't respond which I knew meant she didn't like my answer.

"Alright girls, this is your stop. I am out of here." I already had my overnight bag in the trunk so all I had to do was drop off my friends, "Love you guys!"

"Have fun!" Bevin wiggled her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes back at her.

The drive to Chapel Hill was only two and a half hours, and I didn't really hit any traffic so it seemed to go very fast. Camille had provided me Bryan's address, so I had mapquested it ahead of time so that I knew where to go once I was in town.

It was just getting dark when I pulled up in front of his giant historic home near the UNC Chapel hill campus. Even at dusk the front yard seemed plush and green, a long winding path leading to the front porch of the stone and clapboard home. If I parked on the street I would have a ways to walk to the front door so I pulled into the driveway and parked near the two car garage on the side of the house, walking the manicured path to the front door.

I took a deep breath before ringing the bell and waited, hoping he was actually home.

"Savannah?" Bryan looked confused when he opened the door.

"Hi." I smiled at him, suddenly reverting to the teenage girl who used to be shy around boys, "Umm… I drove here because you weren't answering or returning my phone calls and I needed to ask you if you would be Xander's best man in his wedding next weekend."

He didn't respond, just stared at me with a confused look in his eyes. He was holding the door open so I could see the yellow foyer and the stairs leading up to the second story, but nothing else. Music was emanating from somewhere in the house and I thought to comment about liking the song, but Bryan was still staring at me quietly.

"Bry… are you gonna let me in or at least answer my question so that I can go check into a hotel or something please?" I sighed, finally garnering a real reaction from him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Come in." He stepped back and allowed me to step into the foyer, closing the door behind us, "Um, come in the kitchen with me."

We headed to the right into the huge beautiful blue kitchen. One wall had been wallpapered with a blue print but the rest of the walls were white while all the cabinets were blue. He motioned for me to have a seat at the island in the middle of the room where three stools were set up while he went to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of Fiji water.

"You want one?" He offered one to me and I gladly accepted.

I had already said what I needed to say but so far he hadn't responded and I was starting to feel a little weird. I knew I had surprised him by showing up but this was not the reaction I was expecting.

In my head, during the drive, I had played it out over and over, and every time it ended one of two ways. Either he slammed the door in my face or he took me into his arms and we lived happily ever after. Ok, maybe not happily ever after, but the night turned out pretty well in my fantasy version. This reaction was neither good or bad. It was almost indifferent.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I seem a bit weird." Bryan finally spoke after drinking down his whole bottle of water in one gulp, "I really, really didn't expect to see you at my door and you just surprised me, that's all."

"Well, you could have just answered your phone." I laughed a little, "I've called you a million times this week."

"I didn't want you to yell at me again." Bryan replied emphatically.

I remembered our last conversation where I had made it clear that I refused to have a non-committed relationship with him. I had yelled at him and now it made sense why he wasn't answering.

"Oh." I nodded, "Well, I'm not yelling now, am I?"

I grinned to emphasize my point and he smiled back at me.

"No, you're not." He took a deep breath, "So Xander's getting married next weekend? I thought they were planning a June wedding."

"They were." I relaxed a little, the two of us falling into our normal conversational ease, "And then Peyton ended up pregnant and they don't want to worry about planning a wedding and want it to happen sooner, rather than later, so I'm planning it for them and it's going to be next weekend."

"Pregnant?" Bryan's eyes were wide as if the word itself scared him, "Wow. That I didn't expect at all. So we're rushing a wedding so that they're married before the baby."

"She's only two months pregnant so they would have gotten married before baby anyway, but she'd rather be a skinny bride than a whale I guess."

Bryan laughed.

"Ok, well of course I'll be his best man. I am honored to even be included. What do I need to do?"

"Show up." I giggled, "And get fitted for a tux. Um… actually, I have to hit the local mall tomorrow to pick out bridesmaid dresses so if you would like to join me we can get a tux picked out."

"Where are you staying tonight?"

The look in his eyes intrigued me. He looked like he was going to devour me in one bite and as much as I liked seeing that look, it also worried me. He didn't want to commit and I didn't want casual sex.

"Uh… I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead. I had a photo shoot this morning. I was up all last night planning the wedding. I've been in school all week. The day after I talked to you last I was at a lawyers office with Nathan discussing his divorce and… there's just been a lot going on."

"You wanna stay here?" He asked and I sighed.

I knew I had recognized that look in his eyes.

"Bryan, I told you last time we talked I am not…"

"Stop." Bryan smiled and interrupted me mid-sentence, "I have an extra room Savannah. I know. You made it completely clear that we want different things and I respect that. I have three bedrooms. Mine, my roommate's, and an extra one, so you can stay and not be required to have sex with me."

"You have a roommate?" Out of his entire sentence that part intrigued me the most which made Bryan laugh.

"Yeah, he's upstairs. You won't see him much. He's already a law student so he has tons of studying to do for midterms and actually, so do I."

"Oh, no, if I'm keeping you from studying I can just go find a hotel or something." I started to stand up but Bryan was immediately by my side, making me sit back down.

"Stop it. I'm glad you're here actually. I was getting bored with studying."

There was a comfortable silence that we fell into, staring at each other for a second. I knew that I wanted him to kiss me but I didn't think he as going to until I felt his lips on mine.

"Sorry." He whispered when he pulled away a few moments later, "I told you I respected your decision and then here I am kissing you."

"I can't complain." I responded quietly still staring into his eyes, "It kinda sucks though."

"My kisses suck?" His eyes were wide as he took a step back.

"Oh, no!" I realized too late how my statement had come across, "I didn't mean the kisses. Those are great. I meant the situation with us… Oh God, I feel retarded."

Bryan laughed at me.

"I'm just kidding. I knew what you meant." He pulled out the stool next to me and sat down facing me and pulling my stool closer so that we sat face to face, "The situation does suck. I want you."

"No, you want sex. You don't want me or else we wouldn't be having this conversation." I raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed loudly.

"Savannah, I do want you but you know that school is…"

"The most important thing to you right now and that wouldn't be fair to me because if we're going to be together you want me to be the most important thing. Yeah, I don't know if you realize but you've given me that speech a few times."

He must have noticed that I was slightly irritated because he reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, caressing my cheek in the process.

"I don't want to fight with you. You're only here for one night."

"I don't want to fight either." I agreed, "I'm tired. I've been up since the butt crack of dawn and like I said, it's been a stressful week so, if I'm staying here, let's watch movies or something. Let's chill out together. We haven't done that in a long time."

"Ok." He smiled at me, "You need me to go get your bags from your car?"

"It's only one bag but yes please." I handed him my keys and he headed out to my car, returning with my Dolce & Gabbana black quilted overnight bag.

"Packing light these days huh?" Bryan asked, handing me my keys and setting my bag on the counter.

"It's just one night." I laughed and shook my head, knowing that he was thinking of the family trip we had all taken a few years back when Camille and I combined had 12 bags of luggage for a 4 day trip.

"Come on you. Do you want the grand tour?" Bryan helped me up by holding my hand and didn't let go when I was standing next to him, facing the foyer again.

"Sure." I looked over at him and smiled, "I'll follow you."

Bryan took my back through the foyer and into the large red family room where the TV was on but muted and his books were strewn across the couch and coffee table.

"This where you were studying?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're much more interesting." He replied.

"Thank you." I playfully curtsied and followed him into the next room which had walls a similar shade of yellow as they foyer, "I like the color. Did the house come like this?"

"Yes actually." He answered, "Dad bought the house for me as a present for making it through freshman year. I lived here alone for my sophomore year and then I couldn't take it because it's so big and kinda creepy at night so I listed the rooms for rent and Nico answered the ad. I was gonna rent out the other room too but I haven't found anyone I like. I'm picky with my roommates since I don't actually need them, I want good ones that aren't going to make my life hell."

"Good idea." I laughed, "I have Camille and Nathan as roommates so I can't complain."

"As roommates go, Nico is cool. We really stay to ourselves. He has his school stuff. I have mine."

"Cool."

Bryan led me onto the back patio where he tried to point out the summer house in the distance, which was like a small guesthouse, but mostly, as it was now really dark, I just saw the creepy woods.

"Ok, let's go back inside. It's freezing."

We went back in through a door that led back into the family room and headed into the dining room. This room was actually my favorite so far not because it was the dining room or because of anything that was in it, but the green wood planks on the wall really made the room stand out to the eye.

"This is beautiful." I sighed, running my hand along the wall, "It seriously came like this?"

"Yeah." Bryan laughed, "I know, I love these walls too."

The dining room led back into the kitchen where we took the back set of stairs up to the second floor.

To our right was the bonus room, painted a bright sunny yellow, there was a pool table, mini-bar and pinball machines in here.

"Nice. Very college guy." I laughed.

"Thanks. You want something to drink while we're in here?" Bryan headed to the mini-bar and immediately pulled out the liquor needed to make my favorite drink, a 3-Mile Long Island Iced Tea. It was a lot of liquor but he had all the needed ingredients.

"You remember what my favorite drink is?" I asked, moving to stand in front of the bar as if he were serving me.

"Of course." He began to mix it before I had even said yes to it and when it was ready handed it to me, "Enjoy while we finish the tour."

I sipped my drink as he led me back into the hallway and towards the other rooms upstairs.

"That's Nico's room." He pointed down the hallway where the closed door was trying to trap the loud music seeping out, "He likes his music loud when he's studying for some reason. I don't know why. This over here is the guest bedroom.

We went into the almost empty green room and walked through, headed out another door which led to where the main staircase would have come up to.

"And that door right there is my room but I refuse to show you."

"Why?" I frowned at him, "Grand tour is not complete unless I see everything."

"Savannah." Bryan groaned, "I want to show you. I do but if I open that door, you're not coming back out until I have you and since I can't do that, then I'm not opening that door."

"Bryan…" I whined, "Just show me your room. I want to see it."

"No." He refused, "I can't do that."

"Look, you and I both know that eventually I'm going to cave right? I'm going to give in to you and we're going to have sex without strings attached just like you want it to be so just open the door, let me see it, and then see how much convincing it takes."

Bryan took a deep breath, looking straight into my eyes as if he was trying to read my soul. He nodded and with no words opened the door to his room and let me go inside, looking around at the bright yellow room. It was the same color as the bonus room although he had decorated it with black accessories so it didn't look so girly. It actually reminded me of a bumblebee but it was so infectiously cheery I couldn't even make fun of it.

"What's through that door?" I pointed directly across the room.

"That's the bathroom." Bryan took me across the room to the bathroom and led me inside.

The master bathroom had a semi-circular shower built into the far wall and a separate claw footed bathtub to it's right. To our left were double freestanding sinks and the toilet. Directly to our right was the master walk-in closet.

"This is very impressive." I smiled over at him, "Seriously, I love your house."

Before I could react Bryan had his lips on mine, pressing me backwards against the wall, his left hand on my right hip, thumb just inside the waistband of my pants drawing circles on my hip bone, his right hand braced against the wall next to my head.

I gave into the kiss, trying not to let my drink crash to the floor but finding it harder and harder to care as he deepened the kiss and pressed more of his body against mine.

Before I knew it he had placed both his hands under my butt and lifted me up so that I had to wrap my legs around his waist and drop the glass at the same time. It shattered across the floor, the liquid splashing all around us, but Bryan didn't seem to care. He kept his lips against mine and carried me into the bedroom, dropping me onto the bed and immediately going to work in getting my pants off of my body.

He was placing kisses on my stomach and hip bones, slowly inching the pants to the floor when my cell phone, located in the pants pocket began to ring.

Bryan groaned loudly and looked down at the offending pants which had just fallen to the floor. He reached into the pocket, grabbed my phone and handed it to me.

"It's Nathan." I sighed, opening the phone and putting it to my ear, "Hey you."

"Hey." Nathan replied, "Did you make it to Chapel Hill ok?"

"Yeah. I'm here." I replied, "I'm gonna stay with Bryan tonight and then I'll head home probably tomorrow afternoon ok?"

"Ok." Nathan started to laugh, "I interrupted something didn't I?"

"Yes." I laughed back, "I gotta go ok? I'll call you tomorrow."

"Yeah ok." Nathan hung up and I quickly turned the phone off before tossing it across the room onto the plush armchair in the corner, "Alright, no more distractions."

Bryan was standing a few feet away from where I was laying on the bed, sitting up slightly, just supporting myself on my elbows.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked him, eyeing him as he just stood there and stared at me.

"I can't do this." He said as if he was surprised with himself, "You said you didn't want this and I can't do that to you."

"Bry, I am laying half naked on your bed. I want this ok, just get over here."

"No, not sex Savannah, I get that you want the sex. You don't want us to do this unless I'm committed 100 to you and you're caving because I kissed you. I don't want you to have to compromise what you want just because I'm not ready. You deserve better than that."

"Bryan." I sighed, suddenly feeling very weird being half naked and getting rejected for sex anyway, "I just want you ok? I… I can compromise because I know you're not ready for the commitment and besides, what good would commitment do? I live 2 and a half hours away. We commit to each other and then we have to commute back and forth all the time? That's not going to work. We'll just… we'll have this. We can at least have tonight and we can see what the future brings from there, right?"

He seemed to contemplate it, still staring at me.

"I just…"

"Please, just shut up and come here." I smiled at him, "Please?"

He smiled back at me and finally conceded, approaching the bed again and laying on top of me, pressing his lips against mine.

"What if this is all we can have?" He asked, still laying on top of me and staring into my eyes, "What if sex and overnight visits is all you get?"

"Then I will have to live with that." I replied, "It's better than nothing."

A couple hours later we emerged from his bedroom, sated and starving. He had given me a pair of his UNC sweatpants to wear since all my clothes had been left downstairs. I wore them with my black tank top I had been wearing underneath my own shirt when I got there and followed him downstairs to the kitchen.

"I want steak." I announced, sitting on the bar stools at the island again and watching him go through the refrigerator, "Do you have steak?"

"I do." He turned around holding what looked like two prime filets of beef, "I actually have these specially ordered and I haven't had one in weeks. It will take like twenty minutes to grill one. You want it?"

"Yes." I grinned happily, "Until it's ready I will eat chips. Where can I find those?"

"Cupboard behind you, top shelf."

I found an assortment of chips from potato to blue corn and pulled a bunch so that I could munch on them while I waited for my steak.

Bryan disappeared out the back door and I assumed he must be heading to the grill so I took my chips and headed for the family room, pushing aside a couple of his forgotten school books to find the remote and sit on the couch to watch TV.

I pressed mute to bring the sound back and watched the sports recaps for the day until I was bored watching football stuff. I pressed guide and looked through the guide to see if anything good was on. I found reruns of Dawson's Creek and giggled, changing the channel and engrossing myself in the daily drama of life in Capeside.

"What in the hell are you watching?" Bryan asked as he joined me almost exactly 20 minutes later, handing me a plate with a perfectly cooked and seasoned pepper steak and sitting down next to me on the couch.

"Dawson's Creek." I laughed, "God, Camille and I used to be so into this show."

"Yeah, you and every other girl in America." Bryan reached for the remote, "Give me the remote so I can change this crap."

"No." I snatched the remote away from him, "Dawson's Creek is entertaining."

"You're lucky we just had sex or I would put up a much bigger fight over this." Bryan sighed, turning back to his steak and taking a bite.

"Whatever." I grinned having won the right to watch what I wanted on TV, "This steak is perfect by the way. You're amazing."

I kissed him quickly and he smiled.

"You're welcome. I'm just really glad you came tonight."

"Me too. That release was just what I needed." I joked, knowing that wasn't what he was talking about.

Bryan almost spit his food out as he started to laugh.

"That was not what I meant." He countered and I grinned.

"I know."

Once we were done eating it suddenly occurred to both of us how tired we were and we headed back upstairs to his room, climbing into the messy bed and turning out the lights.

"I'm sorry." Bryan said simply as he pulled me to his chest so that he could hold me as we fell asleep.

"For what?" I questioned.

"For not being able to give you more than this. For not being able to commit to you 100. You deserve better than me."

"I want you though." I replied quickly, not letting him go any further, "I want you and like I said, I'm willing to take what I can get."

He kissed my forehead and sighed, closing his eyes to go to sleep.

"You're amazing." He whispered as he drifted off.

"So are you." I vaguely remember replying.

I woke up the next morning feeling content and very happy, realizing that Bryan was breathing deeply next to me, his arm flat across my chest. The sun shone in from the windows and I carefully rose, slipping from the bed and over to my bag which we had brought up the night before.

I found a pair of blue cheerleading shorts I had borrowed from Camille and a black Tree Hill Ravens racer back tank to slip into so that I could go for a jog. Knowing it would be cold outside I slipped on a Ravens sweatshirt over the tank and grabbed my IPOD before quietly slipping out of the room and downstairs to head out on the property for my run.

The morning air was brisk and it cleared my head magnificently. I could feel the wind filling my lungs and instinctively inhaled deeper, breathing in the scent of the woods that surrounded the house.

After the jog I reentered the house through the back door and went into the kitchen, setting my IPOD on the counter and then turning around to head to the refrigerator. I jumped when I saw a guy I didn't recognize sitting at a small table by the far window, staring at me intently.

"Hi." He waved but frowned, "Is there a reason why you're in my house?"

"Oh, um, I'm Savannah." I went over to him and shook his hand, "You must be Nico. I'm a friend of Bryan's."

"A friend of Bryan's…" Nico contemplated me, looking from my now dirty running shoes, up my tanned, almost bare legs to the blue shorts peeking out from underneath my sweatshirt and back into my eyes, "Do you go to UNC?"

"Uh, no." I pointed to the sweatshirt which clearly said Tree Hill Ravens Basketball across the front, "I got to Tree Hill High School."

"Oh." He looked a little surprised, "Well, that explains it then. College girls do not look like you do."

"Really?" I put my hands on my hips almost defiantly, "And what exactly does that mean?"

"Don't get all defensive on me there high school girl." Nico stood and carried his bowl which had clearly had cereal in it and dumped it into the sink, coming back to stand right behind me and whisper into my ear, "It just means that high school girls like you actually look good in the mornings. College girls always look hung-over."

He walked away and didn't even turn around to wave, merely raising his hand and waving over his shoulder.

"I suppose I'll see you around."

Bryan entered the kitchen moments later and smiled at me, standing in front of the refrigerator frowning.

"I see you met Nico." He laughed, coming over and kissing me lightly, "Don't worry. Whatever he said to you, he just wants you to think he's deep."

"He's deeply disturbed." I commented, finally opening the refrigerator to find some orange juice, "How do you live with him?"

"I told you we rarely see each other and when we do hang out, he makes me laugh. He doesn't hold back. He just says what's on his mind and most of the time it's hilarious."

"He doesn't hold back. That's for sure." I poured myself a glass of the orange juice I found, "Anyway, when do you want to go to the mall with me?"

"After I take you right here on this counter." He wrapped his arms around my stomach from behind and kissed my neck while I drank my juice, "What do you say?"

I giggled, trying not to spit orange juice out.

"Not today." I finished the juice and pulled away from him, setting the cup on the counter and smiling as he pouted, "I have too much to get done today. Mall? Now?"

"Yeah, I need to shower but then we can go."

"Ooh, that I can join you for." I volunteered, jumping up and into his arms.

"Ok." Bryan grinned again and kissed me softly, "I love you."

I think he realized he had said it a second too late and he pulled back waiting for my reaction.

"No worries." I laughed it off, "You said it in New York too, when you were falling asleep. I know you don't mean it."

I headed up the stairs and he followed me closely.

"Savannah, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." I chastised him, "Seriously, it is fine. I told you, I take what I can get from you and if you want to tell me that you love me, it's sweet. I accept your love and I know that it doesn't change what's going on right now. We're just… friends with benefits."

"I think we're a little more than that." Bryan frowned.

"Fine. We are non-exclusively dating. That sound better?"

"A little bit." He was still frowning, "Come on. Let's shower and get out of here ok?"

Sex in the shower had always been a favorite for Bryan and I and it didn't change this morning, especially as his shower was huge and perfect for experimenting with positions. It took us three times as long in the shower as it should have but he was no longer frowning when we came out.

I threw on a flowery tank top, a pair of jeans and quickly brushed through my hair before it tangled, then let it air dry. I grabbed white sweater to throw over my tank since it would be cold outside but slipped on white flip flops.

"Put shoes on. It's cold outside Savannah." Bryan scolded me.

"Bryan, I have to try on dresses. I'm going to have to be taking my shoes on and off. I don't feel like messing with real shoes." I replied, "My feet will be fine. Are you driving?"

"I can." Bryan replied, obviously still not content with my shoe choice, "Come on. You ready?"

I nodded, grabbing my purse, cell phone, sunglasses and then following him downstairs out the back door to the garage where we got into his brand new black Infiniti M45.

"Mmm, I like this car." I squished myself into the leather interior happily, "Nice choice."

"Thanks." Bryan pulled out of the driveway, careful to avoid my car and backed out onto the street. We pulled away easily and we were on our way to the nearest mall.

Once we arrived at the mall we headed straight to the nearest tux shop and I was luckily able to find the exact tux we had bought for the other guys so we measured Bryan and bought him one too. That was the easiest part of the day though, because from there we had to find bridesmaid dresses.

"This is tough because Brooke and Bevin are shorter than Cammie and I. So we have to find a good length for all of us. We chose red or blue for the dresses. I'm more leaning to red but blue would work. I need to be able to buy them off the rack because we have no time to have them altered anyway. There's just… a lot of criteria." Bryan and I headed towards the nearest department store which was Neiman Marcus, "Maybe at least in here I can find something nice. I'm ready to stop being picky and go with the first thing that at least looks fabulous on me."

"You look fabulous in everything." Bryan kissed my hand which he was holding in his and smiled over at me, "Give it a chance. Maybe you'll find something perfect."

Luckily, Neiman Marcus seemed to have a huge selection and so I was able to fairly quickly find a good selection to try on.

I started with the two dresses I had picked from Marc Bouwer. One was a red floor length red satin strapless gown with a red tonal broach directly under the breasts. It fit me perfectly and I felt like it would work for the other girls too, since they all had a bit of boob at least to fill in the top. It was beautiful and although pricey at 730 per dress, it was beautiful and so I held onto it as a possibility.

The second Marc Bouwer dress was a silk chiffon baby doll dress with halter neckline and a beautiful tonal broach that matched the magenta color. I loved it, even though it was a little short on me, but since we wouldn't be able to change the color, I left it as my second choice.

The third dress I tried on fit horribly as did the fourth and by the time I zipped up the fifth and couldn't breath, I was already almost ready to give up.

It was the sixth and final dress that really made my decision hard. It was a burgundy imported jersey halter dress by Amsale. I tried it on and it felt like I was wearing a puppy, it was so soft and comfortable. It was floor length and zipped in the back. Although I knew jersey wasn't the best fabric for a bridesmaid dress, I didn't want to take this dress off.

"I think the first one." Bryan gave me his opinion, "I like the first one."

"But this one is so comfortable." I danced around the waiting room of the dressing area smiling at Bryan, "I love this one."

"Yeah, but it's not bridesmaid-y. Get the first one for the bridesmaids dress and buy that one for yourself." He suggested.

Twenty minutes later I was walking out of the store with five dress bags, four being our red satin Marc Bouwer bridesmaid gowns and one being my Amsale jersey gown.

"That was easier than I expected." I sighed, hanging the dresses in the back seat of the car and then slipping to the passenger seat.

"Good, since we got that out of the way early we can just spend the rest of the day together right?"

I laughed.

"No. Sorry. I have to get home so that I can deliver the gowns and make sure they fit so that I have time to come back and change them if I need to."

Bryan pouted.

"Fine."

"Hey, I'll see you next weekend." I reassured him, "The wedding will be fun. You can stay at my house and we'll have a great weekend. Besides, the weekend after that is my birthday, so that's another weekend we can do something together and then of course, Christmas."

"You just have the whole month planned don't you?" Bryan laughed.

"Yeah sort of." I shrugged, "It's a busy month for me."

"I guess for me too." Bryan reached over and held my hand, "Definitely next weekend and I will see what I can do for your birthday and Christmas ok?"

"Ok." I accepted.

We reached his house and I transferred the dresses from his car to mine, running in to get my bag and make out with Bryan for a few more minutes before jetting to my car and driving back home.

I sped most of the way back to Tree Hill and got there in a little under 2 hours. I called Brooke when I was pulling into town so that I could find out where she was and meet her there.

"Lucas's house. Me, him, and Peyton are watching a movie. None of us wanted to be at her house last night with the parentals both there."

I laughed.

"Alright, I'm on my way with the dresses. You're going to love them, we just may need to try to get the length taken up a bit for you and Bevin before the wedding so they don't drag."

"They're floor length?" Brooke sounded excited.

"They are." I replied, "They are red and floor length and strapless. I got them at Neiman Marcus because they didn't have Jessica McClintock in Chapel Hill. They are by a designer named Marc Bouwer and they are beautiful. Seriously, you are going to love them."

"I trust you." Brooke giggled, "Hurry up, now I want to see them."

I pulled up in front of Lucas's house a few minutes later and barged right into the front door, knowing they were expecting me.

"Hi friends." I was smiling from ear to ear, "I come bearing gifts."

Brooke jumped up excitedly and grabbed a few dress bags from my hand, pulling open the bag I had the store write Brooke on.

"Oh… My…. God." Brooke could barely breathe staring at the dress, "This is beautiful!"

"I know." I went over to the couch to give Lucas and Peyton hugs while Brooke stared at her dress.

"You did an absolutely fabulous job." Brooke ran over and hugged me too, "I can fix the length. Don't worry about it. I finished Peyton's dress. Wanna see?"

"I do."

We ran upstairs and Brooke opened her closet to pull out a mannequin that was currently wearing a pearl white silk floor length gown. The halter top cris-crossed in the back and attached to the skirt at the lower back of the dress the cascaded down in two silk trains. The front of the gown was gathered at the waist, fitted and scrunched then pleated for the skirt and flowed to the floor.

"Wow Brooke." I was blown away at how well it was crafted, knowing it was hand sewn as she hadn't yet bought a sewing machine to assist you, "You are amazing."

"Thank you." Brooke was beaming, "I am really, really proud of it. I can't wait until she gets to wear it next weekend. I fit her into it and she's good but I made sure there's a little bit of a pocket here under the waistband just in case she starts showing by next weekend."

"She might." I nodded, agreeing it was a good idea, "This is so exciting Brooke. Next weekend your best friend is marrying my brother."

"I know!" Brooke squealed, "And we planned the whole thing!"

"Yes we did." I gave her a high five and then she put the dress away and we headed back downstairs, "So what is everyone up to today?"

"Just chillin'." Peyton replied, not taking her eyes off the movie in front of her, "My dad said he would call us when they woke up but I'm grossed out right now because it's after noon and they still haven't called."

"Maybe they had a long night." I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively which made Brooke giggle but Peyton and Lucas groan.

"Gross Savannah. That's my mom…"

"And my dad."

I shrugged.

"Whatever. I had a long night last night. Want to know why?" I turned to Brooke and winked, "Yeah, you guessed it. Sex. Lots and lots of glorious sex."

"Bryan?" Peyton turned and grinned at me, "Seriously?"

"Yep." I nodded, pursing my lips, "He still won't do the commitment thing but we agreed that with him there and me here, it wouldn't have worked anyway so we're just… non-exclusively dating."

"And having sex!" Brooke laughed.

"And that." I smiled widely, "I had a great trip."

"That's so exciting Savannah!" Peyton got up and came over to me, hugging me since she was the only one who really knew how much it meant to me to be with Bryan again, in any capacity, "Aww man, I get up and immediately have to pee. I'll be back."

"Hey Peyt! Have you guys told your dad yet?" I called up to her as she headed upstairs, "About the baby?"

"No!" She called back, "Hold on. I'll be out in a minute!"

"She's scared." Brooke whispered while Peyton was upstairs, "She thinks her dad is going to freak out."

"Well, um, he is." I frowned, "Why does he think they decided to get married next weekend instead of June?"

"He thinks it's because they can't wait to get married and that Xander's joining the military and being shipped to the Middle East."

"What?" I laughed, "Seriously?"

"Something like that." Brooke rolled her eyes, "We all told her we would sit with her while she told her dad but she says…"

"I'm not doing it until after the wedding." Peyton joined us again, adding to the conversation, "That way if my dad disowns me, at least he was at my wedding and I got to spend one last glorious day with him."

"Well, I guess that's a good plan." I agreed, "The longer you keep it from him the more angry he's gonna get though."

"It'll be fine." Peyton assured me, "It's only one more week."

"Ok." I wasn't going to argue with her. I wouldn't want to give up having my dad at my wedding either.

"Well, less than one week now." I grinned, "And believe it or not, I think that all the planning has been completed."

Brooke looked like she was running through her mental checklist of things to do and as she wrote the mental check marks in the air with her finger her grin got bigger and bigger.

"Oh my God, it is done." She finally said, "Peyton, your wedding is officially planned."

Now we just had to wait a few more days to be able to enjoy the actual day.


	30. Chapter 28: Peyton and Xander's Wedding

_**Author's Note: Alright, so I'm kind of bummed no one reviewed the last chapter. I'm posting this one anyway because I don't want to get too far ahead of myself in posting and to let you know I do have another chapter written already. I'll post it when I get some reviews. I do have a question, so if you don't want to review actually about the story, please just leave me a comment answering this question if you don't mind. I'd like everyone's opinion on if you would rather me end this story where I had intended to end it and start a sequel, or would you rather me just continue writing this story and continue it on after high school and into their adult lives, like the show has done? Alright, read on and enjoy! Oh, and there is a sex scene at the very end of this chapter. It's not that graphic but just thought I would warn you. Thanks!**_

**Chapter Twenty- Eight**

**Peyton and Xander's Wedding**

**Xander POV**

"Are you nervous?"

I nodded at Savannah who was standing in front of me, fixing my tie. She was already completely ready, dressed in her beautiful red bridesmaids dress with her hair piled in loose curls atop her head. Around me in the dressing room my groomsmen, Bryan, Nathan, Lucas, and Tim fixed and fiddled with their own ties and tuxes as if they were the nervous ones.

"You don't really need to be nervous you know? Peyton loves you."

"I know." I smiled and Savannah smiled back, "It's just natural don't you think? Marriage? Becoming a parent? It's all sort of naturally nerve-racking no matter how much you know the other person loves you or how sure you are that you are making the right decision."

"I guess." Savannah shrugged and dusted off the front of my jacket as she smiled, "You're all set big brother."

"Thank you." I pulled her into a hug and she hugged me tightly back, "For everything."

"You're welcome." Savannah stepped back as I released her from the hug, "Ok boys, I am going to go check on the bride. You all have… like ten minutes I think. I don't really know. Watches don't match my outfit."

We all laughed at her as she disappeared into the hallway of the church and Lucas checked his watch for an accurate measure of time.

"Yeah, we have exactly ten minutes." He told me, "You doing ok?"

"I'm good." I smiled, "You ever have that contented feeling where you just know everything is going to be perfect? That all is ok in your world?"

"Yes." Bryan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I rolled my eyes.

"That's gross Bryan. That's my sister you're thinking about right now."

He shrugged and laughed so I ignored him. I was going to continue my speech but there was a knock at the door which distracted us. Nathan was closest so he answered it.

"Could you all give me a minute?" My dad entered the room and smiled at me, asking the rest of the guys to leave.

"We'll see you out there." Bryan touched my shoulder and followed the rest of the group out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

"How you doing?"

"I'm good." I took a deep breath, "A little nervous but I know she loves me and I love her so we're doing the right thing. This is exactly what I want."

He smiled and nodded at me.

"It seems like it all happened so fast. Don't get me wrong, I like Peyton and, well, we both know I haven't been father of the year for some years now so I wouldn't have the right to say anything anyway, but I just wanted to make sure your heart and mind were both in the right place here."

"They are." I assured him, "They both strongly agree that Peyton is the one for me. I guess I kind of knew it the second I saw her. I know that seems weird but, we clicked immediately. Maybe it did happen fast, but I see us being together forever."

"Good." My dad seemed to be studying me and I couldn't remember the last time we had just taken the time to talk, the two of us, "Listen Xander, I know you have everything you could possibly want with Peyton and your recently acquired position as head of your mother's clan…"

I laughed a little but let my dad continue.

"My point is that I don't have anything to give you today that you don't already have. Parents try to give their kids money, or pay for the dream wedding, or a house, or something big to show them that they support the decisions they are making in their life and you have all those things already. So, instead of any of those things, I wanted to just tell you how proud I am of you. I know that I didn't say it enough as you grew up and I haven't always been there for you and your sisters, but I love you, and I'm just immensely happy that I was invited to this event in your life."

He almost made me cry. Here I was, supposed to be a hard ass crime boss, and my dad almost brought me to tears with a simple I love you.

"I love you too dad." I hugged my dad who hugged me back and when we broke apart I saw he was actually crying.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do when your sister's get married. I'm getting soft in my old age." My dad wiped away his tears and we laughed together.

"Come on old man. You have to watch your son marry the woman of his dreams now."

We walked out to the church together and I took my spot at the front of the church with the other guys standing next to me. My dad took his seat as one of the guests, joined by Mariah, who had responded to her invite at the last minute, Karen, Deb, Whitey, Mouth, Skillz, Fergie, Junk, and the cheerleaders. For everyone's sake, we had not invited my mom or the family from Spain, although they would probably be mad once they found out I hadn't included them.

"You ready for this?" Bryan whispered to me as the music started and the doors at the back of the church opened revealing Bevin first who made her way down the aisle.

"Yes."

Camille followed Bevin and Savannah followed Camille. Brooke, being the maid of honor came last of the four bridesmaids and when she made it up to the alter where the rest of us were standing, the music changed and suddenly Peyton and her dad appeared in front of the open doors. As soon as I saw her I felt the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

The dress that Brooke had made for her fit perfectly, every already pregnancy enhanced curve was perfectly showcased. Her hair was piled on her head in curls a simple silver diamond comb keeping it in tact. She wore silver diamond earrings and a silver diamond bracelet. She too was crying before she was even half way down the aisle.

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Xander and Peyton a very important moment in their lives. In the time they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." The officiate began.

I stepped down one step to shake Larry's hand and smile at my soon to be wife.

"Who gives this woman to be wedding to this man?"

"I do." Larry handed me Peyton's hand which he had been holding protectively, "I trust you will protect her with your own life."

"I will." I promised and then he went to sit with Karen and my dad while Peyton and I took the step back up to the alter where the ceremony continued.

"Peyton and Xander have asked me to share a passage from 'A Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemingway which reads: 'At night, there was the feeling that we had come home, feeling no longer alone, waking in the night to find the other one there, and not gone away; all other things were unreal. We slept when we were tired and if we woke the other one woke too so one was not alone. Often a man wishes to be alone and a woman wishes to be alone too and if they love each other they are jealous of that in each other, but I can truly say we never felt that. We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. We were never lonely and never afraid when we were together.'" He paused and turned to us, "Marriage by definition is simply the legal union of a man and woman as man and wife however, isn't it more than that? A promise you are making to each other that your love will last forever. A bond that you share withstanding all others. Marriage is more than just a legal union, it is a lifetime commitment to your spouse."

Peyton and I turned to look at each other, I held her hands in mine, smiling as she smiled back, sniffling just slightly as she tried to stop crying.

"I love you." I mouthed to her and she mouthed it back.

We had practiced our vows the night before and the officiate knew we would start when we were ready so he smiled at us and waited.

"I, Peyton, take you, Xander, to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the man you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us."

Brooke handed her the ring which Peyton slipped onto my finger with ease, smiling up at me.

"I, Xander, take you, Peyton, to be my friend, my lover, the mother of my children and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us."

Bryan handed me the ring for Peyton and I slipped it onto her finger easily, smiling back at her.

"By the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Peyton was crying but grinning at the same time as I pulled her to me gently and kissed her, not a mind blowing kiss but not just a peck either, her lips resting sensually against mine for several seconds.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Xander Anthony Carter."

Everyone cheered loudly and I whisked Peyton down the aisle as the music started again for us to proceed out of the church followed by the rest of the wedding party behind us.

"I love you so much." Peyton wrapped her arms around my neck in the foyer of the church, "I can't believe I'm your wife."

"Believe it baby." I leaned down and kissed her, "Mrs. Peyton Elizabeth Carter."

"Brooke's gonna have to change what she calls me." Peyton laughed.

We were soon joined by everyone congratulating us, hugging us, and telling us how happy they were for us. The wedding party posed for a few pictures from the photographer Savannah had hired and while the photographer was focusing on pictures of just Peyton and I, I noticed Savannah, Brooke, and Karen disappeared. I assumed this was so that they could finish setting up for the reception at Tric.

When the pictures were finished and everyone had left the church and headed to the reception, Peyton and I took our time making our way to the limo that was waiting for us to take us to Tric.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her, reaching over and placing my hand carefully on her stomach.

I had noticed just in the past week how her body had begun to change. Her boobs were getting bigger, almost a full cup size at this point. Her stomach hadn't grown much but there was a tiny bump growing. She was glowing but I knew that there were negative effects too and even though it was our wedding day, if she was too tired, I would gladly just take her home to rest.

Home. Peyton didn't know yet, but over the last few days I had managed to secure a house for us, our own home, here in Tree Hill. Although it would still need to be decorated, I figured Brooke and Savannah would want to help with that, if not the rest of the clan too. It was actually only a few minutes from Savannah's house, so that if Peyton needed anyone while I was out of town, someone could be there immediately.

"I'm great." Peyton smiled up at me, placing her hand over mine on her stomach, "Tired, but that's normal at this stage of pregnancy. At least I haven't thrown up today and I think I can work through the fatigue since it's our wedding day."

"Good. I have something I want to show you before we go to Tric."

We slipped into the limo and I gave the driver the address of the new house so that he could head there.

"Where are we going?" Peyton asked, staring out the window of the limo as we drove.

"Don't worry about it." I pulled her away from the window and into my arms, cuddling her against my body and kissing her to distract her from our surroundings.

"Thank you husband." She joked with me, licking her lips as if she could taste the kisses, "I love kissing you."

"I love kissing you." I kissed her again and she grinned from ear to ear.

"I can't believe we're married." She giggled, "Honestly, before I met you, I didn't think I would ever get married. I didn't think I would ever be ready."

"And now?"

"This is the happiest day of my life. I can definitely say I will love you forever." She stated definitively.

"Good. Right back at you."

We kissed and held each other until the limo stopped in front of our new house. When we stepped out of the limo, Peyton looked at the house and then looked back at me, clearly confused.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"This is our new home." I wrapped my arms around her waist and we stood on the front lawn, staring at our two story white brick colonial house, "I thought we could have our own place here in Tree Hill, instead of staying with your dad or my sister and… well, I knew you would love this one."

"It's… amazing." Peyton turned around in my arms, "Seriously? It's ours?"

"All ours." I kissed her softly and she wiggled excitedly in my arms.

"Well, come on, let's go inside."

We headed for the front door and I pulled out the keys which I had thankfully remembered to grab, unlocking the door and heading inside.

Together we roamed the house, exploring all four bedrooms, five bathrooms and the backyard which looked out over Tree Hill Country Club's golf course.

"This is so awesome Xander." Peyton jumped into my arms, "I love you so much. Thank you."

"I just wanted us to have our own place and plus, when the baby is born, we are going to want it more. I want you to have everything you've ever wanted."

"I already have you. That's all I need." She put her hands on my cheeks and laid her forehead against mine, "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

We arrived at Tric for the reception about 20 minutes later than we were supposed to but since it was intimate, it didn't really matter. Mouth as the DJ announced our arrival and we got to have our first dance to a cheesy song Savannah had picked out. Peyton laughed the entire time at the musical choice which lightened the mood at least so neither of us were crying like I had expected.

"The place looks amazing little sister." I surprised Savannah a few hours later, coming up behind her where she was straightening the items on the table with the ice sculpture, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Savannah smiled up at me, "Are you happy?"

"Happier than I've ever been." I admitted, taking a sip from my champagne glass, "What about you? Happy?"

"I'm content." She replied, "I'm happy for you."

"You're only 17..."

"Almost 18." Savannah interrupted me.

"You're almost 18..." I started my speech again with a smile, "so you have your whole life ahead of you, but don't wait to long to start looking for real love ok? I know this whole thing with you and Bryan… you're settling and I don't want to see you settle. He has been my best friend almost my entire life but he doesn't deserve you so, just don't settle for less when you could have more ok? Promise me?"

"I promise." Savannah grinned, "Bryan and I are complicated but we'll work it out and if we don't then I'm not going to waste my life on him. But you're right, I am almost 18 which means I am young and I have a lot of time to figure out what I want to do. I don't need to settle down now."

I nodded and pulled her to my side, hugging her tightly.

"I love you little sister."

"I love you too big brother."

"Sibling threesome?" Mariah approached us with a smile, her hands up in the air as if she were trying to silently say she came bearing peace.

"Come here." I pulled her into my other side and squeezed them both, "What have you been doing in Greece huh? You disappear for months at a time. We can never get a hold of you and when we do all you'll tell us is that you're in Greece. What gives huh?"

"Well… I met someone." Mariah finally confessed.

"Yeah?" Savannah looked around me at Mariah, "Spill."

"He's amazing. He's a chef, like me, and he runs his own restaurant in Santorini. He's tall, dark, gorgeous… he's been teaching me Greek and I've been teaching him English. I would have told you guys sooner but it almost felt like if I told, then it wouldn't be real."

Savannah and I exchanged a surprised look and Mariah continued talking.

"You guys remember growing up, like when we were all in high school together, and I was a major bitch?"

"I remember." Savannah volunteered and I squeezed her roughly, "Ow."

"Well, I don't know, it was like while I was in Italy for cooking school or maybe before, I just suddenly realized that you two are my family. And while we haven't been close, growing up or anything, I didn't want to be the same person I was before. I know you noticed, when I came to Tree Hill just before you started school Savannah. We all hung out and did stuff together, things that we had never done, even as kids like bake cookies! I loved that! And I just, I wanted to be better and when I left for Greece I just, had this whole different outlook on life and I met Theo and he is… amazing. Anyway, the point is that I'm really glad I was here for this and I want to make sure that you guys know that I'm not the same bitch I was growing up ok? I'm different and I'd really like to be a better sister from now on."

"Well, you can start by telling Xander congratulations." Savannah sighed and Mariah looked confused.

"I already told him congratulations. You're married Xan. It's awesome!"

Savannah laughed and I knew immediately where she was going with this conversation.

"Oh no, not on the wedding." Savannah moved and whispered in Mariah's ear.

Mariah's expression went from happy to surprised to ecstatic and she jumped up, wrapping her arms around my neck happily.

"Oh my God, congratulations! Seriously?"

"Seriously." I smiled, thinking about the baby Peyton was carrying and instinctively I searched the room for her with my eyes, finding her laughing happily with her dad and Karen, "I'm going to be a father."

"This is… so cool! We're going to be aunt's." Mariah said to Savannah who nodded and giggled.

"Don't spread that around ok? Her dad still doesn't know." I warned Mariah, noticing Larry had suddenly turned and headed in my direction, "I'll catch you guys later."

Savannah and Mariah hurried off, laughing and talking happily, leaving me alone with Larry as he joined me.

"So, how's it feel? Married?"

"It feels amazing." I replied honestly, although even if it hadn't I couldn't have said anything else to him, "How do you feel? Knowing that I just married your daughter?"

"Safe." Larry pursed his lips and nodded, "I know we started off rough Xander but I know you're going to take care of her. You can provide for her. You make her happy. You love her. Until recently it was hard for me to remember those feelings, those integral pieces of being a successful couple. But now I see it, and I feel it, and I know you're going to be an excellent husband… and father?"

My eyes went wide and instinctively I backed up a few paces so that he couldn't reach out to punch me.

"Xander…" Larry laughed, "I'm not stupid. I've noticed her throwing up and the excessive amounts of sleep. I notice when you're all talking and I walk in the room just as the conversation mysteriously stops. I knew you guys were keeping something from me and do I look like I was born yesterday? Suddenly we're pushing up the wedding?"

"Sir, we were going to tell you…"

"I know." Larry smiled and reached up to pat me on the back, "That's my little girl Xander. She's all I have and if you hurt her, you know I will kill you, but I also know that you won't hurt her. Maybe the protective single father side of me is freaking out a little bit that my 18 year old daughter who is still in high school is suddenly married and pregnant, but the newly engaged, happy father in me knows she's happy, knows I can't change and wouldn't want to change that, and knows that everything happens for a reason."

"She's going to be very relieved that you know." I exhaled, having held my breath waiting for him to kill me, "She was dreading your reaction."

"Well, I could pretend to be pissed. I don't want to disappoint her."

"Disappoint who?" Peyton joined us with a smile, wrapping her arms around me and looking from her dad to me.

"You." Larry used his index finger to tap her nose and made her laugh, "Were you just waiting until the birth to tell me you're pregnant?"

Peyton's mouth fell open and I laughed, hugging her closer to my side.

"Yeah, my reaction exactly." I kissed the top of her head, "Don't worry. He's not mad."

"You're not?" Peyton asked shakily, "Daddy? You promise?"

"I'm not mad Peyton." Larry pulled her from me and hugged her tightly, "I love you little girl."

"I love you too."

Right on cue she began to cry, almost hysterically, falling into my arms. This was either her hormones or she had an adverse reaction to her dad being happy for us. Either way the whole room looked at us as if we had just tried to kill her and both Larry and I could only laugh.

"She's just happy." Larry called out to everyone, "Well, that and pregnancy hormones."

"Dad!" Peyton exclaimed but too late, the entire room, or at least those who hadn't already known, swarmed us like flies and everyone had questions.

It was almost 10 pm when Peyton and I finally made it back to our new, unfurnished home. She collapsed almost immediately on the stairs, resting her head on the banister and looking up at me with a smirk.

"What are you smiling at me like that for?"

"We are officially home Mr. Carter."

"Yes we are Mrs. Carter." I scooped her up into my arms and carried her back out the front door, "And I totally forgot to carry you over the threshold."

She laughed loudly and was still laughing when I set her back down on the stairs.

"We have no furniture." I sighed, "So technically we can't sleep here."

"Aww, why not? We have blankets in the car, because they are always there, and I'm sure there is at least one comfortable floor in this place. One night of sleeping on the floor won't kill us."

"Who said I'm letting you sleep?" I pulled her up against me and held her tight, "I have other plans ma'am. This is our wedding night."

"Yeah?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively, "I like the sound of that. What did you have in mind?"

"Dirty, dirty things." I pressed my lips to hers and before I knew it we were on the floor, right there in the foyer, naked with her body pressed against mine.

She grinned like a fox when she climbed on top, grinding against me so that I moaned loudly.

"We don't even have to be quiet because it's all ours." She leaned down and kissed me, rubbing her hard nipples against my chest, "I'm going to make you scream."

"You think so huh?" I put my hands on her hips and raised her up just high enough so that when I let go she sank directly onto my dick.

We both groaned this time, in unison, louder than before.

"I know so." She whimpered with slightly less resolve than a second ago as she began to move on me.

I let her tease me for a little while, making her think she was in control. She pulled the comb out of her hair and all her blonde ringlets fell across her shoulders as she grinned devilishly at me.

"You know, you're even sexier now that I know you're carrying my child." I put my hand on her stomach and she laughed, "Seriously, especially with these."

My hands went to her breasts but she quickly pulled out of my reach.

"Those hurt." She said, "No touching."

"I can't touch your boobs? What kind of bullshit is that? They get bigger but I'm not allowed to feel?"

"They're sore." She argued, "Really sore."

"They're sexy." I let my hands go back to her hips as they had been earlier, leaving her boobs alone but staring at them, "Peyton?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She smiled and I was expecting her to say it back when she adjusted herself on me, letting all her weight fall on me pushing me deeper inside her than I had ever been before. We both screamed pleasurably and she leaned down a minute later to whisper in my ear.

"I told you I was gonna make you scream."


	31. Chapter 29: Happy Birthday!

_**Author's Note: Quick disclaimer, the songs used in this chapter do not belong to me in any way and obviously, neither do the characters of OTH. The songs used are Tricky Angel by Natasha Bedingfield, Dream by Alice Smith, These Four Walls by Miley Cyrus, When the Stars Go Blue the Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz version, Backyard by Natasha Bedingfield and again Goodbye by Miley Cyrus. Additionally, this is a super super long chapter which is good because I haven't updated in a really long time but also because I've sort of lost my inspiration for writing this story so unless it finds me, this will probably be the last update for a really long time. I hope you all enjoy it! :)  
**_

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Happy Birthday!**

**Lucas POV**

"Hey there sexy, guess what today is? No, don't guess. I'll just tell you." Brooke jumped on my bed while I still lay there trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes, "Today is Savannah's birthday which means we are having a party tonight. Not the same old hanging out at her house, drinking and playing strip poker party but a real party with music, and alcohol and you and me…"

She straddled my waist, the blanket between us, and slid her hands down my bare chest.

"I'm excited."

"I can tell." I laughed at her slightly then pulled her down into the bed with me, covering her with the blanket and cuddling up behind her so that her back was against my chest, "I just need ten more minutes sleep. Lay there quietly ok?"

"Ok." Brooke was giggling and I was confident she wouldn't even make it through ten seconds before talking.

Unfortunately for us, we didn't even make it five seconds before my mom opened the bedroom door.

"Lucas, you better get up it's time for…" She stopped mid sentence and stared at Brooke who had immediately shot up from bed like a deer caught in headlights, "school. Hi Brooke."

"Hi Karen." Brooke looked at me just as I covered my head with the blankets and pillow, hoping this was all a dream and my mom wasn't about to yell at me, "Um… I'm gonna go. Lucas, school later um… yeah. Bye."

She skipped out the back door and thankfully my mom waited until Brooke was gone to start yelling.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, remind me again why I gave you a room with it's own entrance that is supposed to stay locked at all times but seems to magically always be unlocked to let some girl slip into your room, and into your bed, whenever they so please?"

"Brooke's not some girl mom." I tried to reason with her.

"No! You're right. Brooke is not some girl. Brooke is your girlfriend which is more of a reason for her to stay out of your bed!" She tore the covers off the bed and then threw them at me in a ball, "You remember last year? When you were going through some stuff and you broke up with her and then we were all forced to enter my worst nightmare also known as a pregnancy scare?"

"Mom, you don't have to bring that up!" I sat up letting the pillow and blankets fall to the floor, "We weren't doing that! She just came to remind me that today is Savannah's birthday and that Savannah's having a birthday party tonight!"

"Yeah? Well, you're not going because you're grounded."

My mom turned and slammed the door before I could object so I stood and followed her out to the kitchen where she was furiously washing the dishes.

"Why am I grounded? I didn't do anything!"

"Until you learn to keep that door to your bedroom locked and not to let girls in your room, you're grounded. No party tonight. No Brooke. School, practice, home, you understand?"

"That is not fair. What is wrong with you? Where did my happy mother go? Yesterday you would have told me I could do no wrong because you were floating on cloud 9 with Larry and today you want to punish me for letting Brooke wake me up?"

"No." She slammed the water faucet off and turned to face me, "I… You…"

Her face fell and I could tell the anger had ebbed.

"I'm sorry Lucas, it's just… there's a lot going on right now."

"Like what?" I went over to her and hugged her, "What's up mom? You can tell me."

"It's Keith." She pulled away and looked up at me, "You made it clear to me when I told you that I was going to marry Larry that you always thought that I would marry Keith and last night… when I finally got up the nerve to tell Keith that I'm marrying Larry well, he made it pretty clear that he always thought I would marry him too. And I know that we've gotten through me turning down his marriage proposal once but, I don't think our friendship will survive a second time."

"Keith proposed to you?"

My mom started crying and I pulled her back into my arms as she nodded her head.

"He told me I was making a mistake marrying Larry and that I should marry him instead. And I told him no."

"Mom…" I hugged her and waited until she stopped crying to let go, "Mom?"

"Yeah." She tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes as she wiped away the tears.

"Can I ask you why? Why Keith isn't good enough?"

"Lucas, it's not that Keith isn't good enough. He's a wonderful friend to have but my feelings haven't changed. He's a great uncle and a great guy to have around but I don't love him, not the way he wants me too."

"Why?"

"I don't know." My mom shrugged, "I just have never seen him that way."

She didn't realize it because I had tried my best to make sure she thought I was happy with her decision to marry Larry, but I had secretly been thinking for the last few weeks since she had said yes that she was making the wrong choice.

"Keith is leaving Lucas." She finally added, letting me stand in silence and think for a minute, "He told me last night that if I didn't want him then he was going to find someone who did, far away from Tree Hill."

"Seriously?" The last time Keith had said he was leaving Tree Hill, it hadn't lasted long and I had actually gone with him, "Are you sure?"

My mom nodded.

"I'm sorry Lucas."

I wanted to hug her again and tell her that it was ok but I couldn't make myself. The loss of Keith would be huge in our lives. It would leave a hole that Larry, no matter how hard he tried, would never be able to fill. I couldn't let him do it.

"I love you mom. I better get to school."

I didn't head to school at first. I headed to the garage which Keith had recently purchased back from Dan. He was there, working on and cursing at a black '67 Ford Mustang.

"Hey Keith…"

He looked up, clearly surprised to see me and cursed again as he dropped the wrench he had in his hand directly on his foot.

"You ok?" I asked, sort of smiling at his clumsiness.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He smiled back at me sort of, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I figured it would be worth it to be late if I could come here first and convince you not to leave town just because my mom is marrying Larry Sawyer."

"Ahh…" Keith laughed, "She told you about that huh?"

"Yeah. She was really upset this morning. She tried to ground me."

Keith smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Like she would ever really ground you."

"Yeah, exactly right?"

We laughed for a minute and then Keith's expression turned serious and he sighed.

"I remember when things were simple. When most nights it was just you, your mom, Haley and me sitting around a table eating dinner. When I knew, just instinctively knew, that one day, your mom would see in me what I had always seen in her, and realize that she loved me. Before basketball, and you getting to know Dan, and Haley marrying Nathan… it was just the four of us."

I thought of Haley, who I hadn't spoken to in weeks. Since our fight she hadn't called, and with everything that had happened around Tree Hill lately, I hadn't bothered to call her either. It was happening so easily, that I hadn't realized until that very second how close I was coming to losing my best friend.

"I just want my friend Karen back." Keith said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "I want to go back to when things were simple Lucas. I love that your mom is happy but if she's happy with him, where do I come in? We can't just be friends, not when she knows how I feel about her and not with me knowing how I feel about her."

"You can't run away Keith." I replied, "That didn't go well last time, remember? Dan's heart attack happened and we just had to come back."

"Dan's healthy again. He's finally gotten the release to go back to work and the burns have all healed. He's not going to bring me back this time and even if he were to almost die again, I'm done with him too. With his nitpicking and his temper. His demeaning attitude and his snooty better than you demeanor. I'm done Lucas."

"But Keith…"

"I'm sorry Luke. You know that you will always be able to come to me about anything, but I just can't stay in this stifling town anymore, you know? Where I'm constantly in the shadow of my little brother. Where the love of my life is marrying someone else? You're the only thing here for me now Luke and you'll be leaving for college soon."

"There's still five months before I graduate. Eight months before I have to be on campus for college, whatever college I decide on. You can't just leave like this."

"I'm not leaving tomorrow Lucas, but I will leave soon." Keith came over to hug me, "You'll be fine and… I'll be better. Now get to school."

"Keith…"

"I mean it Lucas. Go to school."

Keith didn't let me argue any further so I turned, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, and heading to school.

The halls were empty when I arrived, first period already in session. I checked in with the front office to get my late pass and headed to my locker to drop off the books from my backpack.

"Hey you!" Savannah came striding up to me obviously having just arrived at school as well, "I know why I'm late but why are you late?"

"Mom stuff." I sighed but turned to smile at her, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you." She hugged me and did a twirl, "This is my first birthday present to myself. I went shopping last night."

"Very nice." I closed my locker and followed her to hers, "So about this party tonight…"

"Yeah, it'll be fun. I mean, we haven't had a real party in forever. It's gonna be good to just let everything go right?"

"I actually don't know if I can come." I cringed when Savannah turned to me and glared, "It's not my fault. My mom tried to ground me this morning and I don't know yet if she's going to stick to it or not. I just, wanted to tell you ahead of time, just in case."

"I'll talk to her. She loves me. Maybe I can convince her to let you come." Savannah shut her locker but we didn't head to class, "What'd you do that made her want to ground you?"

"Brooke actually came over to wake me up and when my mom walked in she was in my bed."

Savannah raised her eyebrows and started laughing.

"Well, that's one way to get grounded I guess." She sighed, "Ok, well I'll still talk to her. Is that why you're late?"

"No." I didn't really want to expand on the subject but Savannah poked me and I knew she wasn't going to just let it go, "Keith told my mom that she was making a mistake by marrying Larry and that if she does he's going to leave Tree Hill. So my mom was upset because she doesn't want to lose Keith and then I went to see Keith to try and convince him he was making a mistake."

"Oh, wow. That's a deep conversation to have this early in the morning." She smiled up at me, "So, I mean, how do you feel? Do you agree with your mom or Keith?"

We walked together out to the courtyard and although we knew we were supposed to head to class, we sat down at one of the picnic tables instead and talked. I told her how I felt about my mom and Larry. How I felt about my mom and Keith. I laid it all out and then just sat silently while she seemed to contemplate it all.

"Well, here's the way I see it." Savannah turned to me, folding her legs underneath her and using her hand to turn me the same way so we were facing each other, "Your mom is happy. Keith shouldn't give her an ultimatum, which is essentially what he did, when he wants her to be happy. On the other hand, if she marries Larry, Keith is not happy and so one of them loses either way. Your mom kind of loses either way. If she marries Larry she loses Keith and if she marries Keith she loses Larry. I would say that you, no matter how you feel about it, should just support her with whatever she wants because she doesn't really need another person putting pressure on her to make a decision she doesn't want to make."

She had a point. I didn't want to admit it, but she had a point. My mom needed complete support. She needed someone to tell her everything was going to be ok no matter what. I just hoped I could be that for her.

"Thank you." I said to Savannah simply and she grinned.

"It's what I'm here for. I solve everyone else's problems and never my own."

"Yeah? Let me help. Tell me your problems. I'll solve them." I offered which made Savannah laugh loudly.

"No, no. My problems are beyond your control and besides it's my birthday. I am going to pretend that I have no problems today. And neither do you ok? All of my friends just have no troubles at all because they all have to be happy that today is my birthday."

"Ok." I agreed although I knew that wasn't going to work, "Am I the first one to know about this?"

"Technically yes, but you're a good start. I'll tell the rest of them about it later."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, staring at the landscape and basking in the winter sunlight.

"So birthday girl, what do you want for your birthday? I'm sorry to admit, I have yet to buy you anything."

"I don't want anything." Savannah replied quickly, "I really don't. I'm excited about the party tonight but as far as things people can buy for me… there's not a single thing I would ask for. I have great friends. I have money that can buy me any material thing I could ever wish for. I have a pretty privileged life. I kind of want a new car but that has to come from my dad or I have to buy it for myself. I would never ask anyone else to do it for me."

"Yes, I'm sure that one of us could buy you a car." I laughed.

"Yeah, no. I wouldn't accept it if you did." She laughed back, "No. I can't think of anything I want Lucas. I just want everyone to come have a good time at my party."

"And for no one to remember their problems today."

"Oh yeah, and that." She grinned and sighed, "Do you ever think about getting older? Thinking that we're all at the point of our lives where we are turning 18, and getting ready to graduate high school, and becoming adults who are in charge of our own lives and just wish that things could go back to a time when life was simple? Go back to when our parents chose what we wore and who we were friends with? When dating a member of the opposite sex meant holding hands and the occasional peck on the cheek?"

I smiled and nodded.

"When it was just me, my mom, and Keith." I said quietly, "And Haley."

Savannah turned to look at me and without warning reached over and hugged me.

"I'm sorry for you losing your best friend Lucas. I know it's my fault and it's been really great of everyone not to blame me."

"What?" I frowned at her, "It's not your fault Savannah."

"Yes it is." She said adamantly, "She would not have left had it not been for me. We all know this and yet none of you say anything or blame me and, I just want to thank you. I know it's been hard on you and Nathan especially. I just wish that there was something I could do about it, you know?"

"You did everything you could. Ultimately it was Haley's decision to leave and when she did that, she left all of us. You are not to blame."

Savannah sighed.

"You'll never convince me of it."

The bell rang and within seconds kids were swarming out of the buildings to head to their next class. Savannah hopped up and offered me her arm.

"Walk me to second period?"

"Of course. I'd be honored."

I wrapped her arm around mine and we headed into the school building, weaving our way through the swarms of students.

"Boyfriend, where have you been?" Brooke bombarded us all of a sudden, "Happy Birthday Savannah! You weren't in first period!"

"I slept in. Figured it was my right when it's my birthday." Savannah shrugged and smiled up at me, "I ran into Lucas when I got here and we decided to talk in the courtyard instead of attend class."

"You should have called me. I wanted to skip first period." Brooke pouted and moved so that she could take my other arm, "So did your mom totally freak out this morning?"

"Yes." I laughed, "She grounded me so I don't know if I get to go to Savannah's party tonight."

"What? That's not fair!" Brooke exclaimed.

"I'm going to talk to her." Savannah reached around me and patted Brooke's shoulder, "I promise we will get him there, even if it means kidnapping him."

Brooke grinned and nodded, officially agreeing to whatever plan they had yet to concoct.

"So you two have second period together right?" Brooke asked as we made it to her class.

"We do." I looked over at Savannah who nodded.

"Ok, I will see you guys later." Brooke leaned up to give me a light kiss and then headed into class while Savannah and I continued on.

"I have an idea." I stopped her halfway to our class and turned her to look at me, "Let's ditch. Let's just not be at school today. I don't want to be here. Do you?"

"Not really. We should tell Brooke though. She'll kill us if we leave her here."

"No because if we tell Brooke we have to tell the whole clan and then we have more of a chance to be caught. Just you and me. Let's go."

"Lucas…" She looked around us as the halls began to empty as everyone made their way to class, "Brooke's your girlfriend."

"I'll text her after we're gone. It's not like I'm cheating on her. We're just ditching school."

Savannah took a deep breath and I thought for a second she might decide against the idea but the she smiled and nodded.

"Ok, what the hell? I know where we can go too. Come on."

We headed out of school and to her car, slipping in and pulling out of the parking lot before anyone could stop us. She drove us straight to the airport and I frowned at her.

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

"Well we can't stay in Tree Hill. We'll get caught. The whole town knows who we are. If we're going to ditch successfully, we have to get out of Tree Hill."

"Uh…" She was right but that didn't change that we couldn't just hop on a plane and leave town unless, "Wait, are we taking Xander's plane?"

"Yep. He flew back into town this morning. He said if I wanted to go anywhere for my birthday, the plane was at my disposal." We pulled into the private hanger where the plane was stored and jumped out of the car, "So do you trust me?"

I contemplated for a minute. I had no idea where she was taking me or how long we would be gone. She was putting me on a plane and whisking me away from Tree Hill for one day. I had no reason not to trust her.

"Yes. I trust you."

"Good. Come on." She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the plane which the pilot was just leaving, "Jesus!"

The pilot turned to look at us and smiled.

"Savannah! ¿Cómo estás?"

"Estoy bien. Usted?" Savannah replied hugging him and giving him a kiss once on each cheek.

"Bien, bien." The pilot grinned from her to me, "Usted quiere volar en alguna parte ¿verdad?"

"Si." Savannah nodded and I knew that she was saying yes to whatever he had asked.

"Ok." He nodded, "¿Adónde vas?"

"Chapel Hill."

That I actually understood. She wanted him to fly us to Chapel Hill.

The three of us climbed into the plane and before I knew it we were on our way.

"Chapel Hill huh? We could have just driven." I said to her once we were up in the air.

"Yes, but that would have taken longer." She grinned from ear to ear, "You said you were thinking about going to UNC Chapel Hill right?"

"Right…"

"And Bryan goes to UNC Chapel Hill so we kill two birds with one stone and we get out of town for the day." Savannah shrugged, "I know. I'm brilliant."

"And absolutely not conceited either." I laughed, "No, this is a pretty good idea. We'll have fun."

"Yes we will."

With a nonstop flight to Raleigh-Durham airport, we were there in less than an hour and were shuttled to the rental car terminal so we had something to drive around town. Savannah paid a lot for it but was able to rent us a silver 2006 Porsche Carrera GT Convertible. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail, slid her sunglasses into place and put the car into gear, speeding out of the airport area and heading out onto the short drive from there to Chapel Hill.

The wind in my hair was intoxicating. It was a release to be able to just relax for once, closing my eyes and enjoying the smells and feeling of the sun. It was cold, especially with the top down, but we both had jackets on and nothing could have made us forfeit the fresh air.

"I can't decide if I want to call Bryan to see where he is, or if we should just go to campus and pretend to be college kids. What do you think?"

There was merit in both choices. On one hand, Bryan could show us around and I knew Savannah wanted to see him, especially since it was her birthday but on the other hand, being anonymous was kind of cool.

"Well, I say we go to his house and see if he's there and then if he's not we go to the college and be regular college kids."

Savannah smiled.

"I like it. Let's do it."

We were at Bryan's house shortly after and I couldn't help but gawk at the enormity of it. The whole thing was at least 3 times the size of my house and I hadn't even seen the inside yet. The sprawling green grass and huge trees providing shade and privacy. It was like having his own private hideout.

Savannah parked the car on the side of the house and led me to the front door. She rang the doorbell and grinned widely at me, sort of rocking back and forth on her toes waiting for an answer.

"High school girl…" A guy who I didn't recognize answered the door and looked Savannah over, "Nice to see you again."

"Hi Nico." Savannah sighed, "Is Bryan home?"

"No." Nico said definitely and then looked over at me for the first time and extended his hand, "Hi, I'm Nico. I'm Bryan's roommate."

"Lucas. I'm Savannah's friend."

"Nico, focus. Where's Bryan?" Savannah pulled the guys gaze back to her and exhaled loudly, "Any idea?"

"Yeah. He had class. He usually comes home afterward cause he doesn't have anymore classes today. Probably be home in like an hour. You want to come in and wait?"

Savannah looked at me and I shrugged so she accepted the invite in. As soon as the door was closed behind us Nico disappeared upstairs which left Savannah and I full run of the house.

"I can give you the tour." She offered, "Or we could just raid the kitchen because I'm starving."

"I'm starving too. Let's eat."

We headed to the huge kitchen and Savannah went straight to the fridge while I looked through the cabinets.

"Hmm… I wonder how old this sushi is." She opened up a container of sushi rolls from the fridge and sniffed them, "They smell ok. You want sushi?"

"I'll pass thanks." I laughed and she shrugged, putting them back in the fridge, "There's cereal, chips, spaghetti noodles."

"I'll make spaghetti." Savannah offered, turning to me, "It's the one thing I make well remember? Plus, they have ground turkey so we can even have meat sauce."

"Sounds good." I pulled the spaghetti noodles from the cupboard, placing them at the island counter and pulling up a chair, "I'll watch or I can help if you need me."

"Watching is fine. I think I can handle it." Savannah searched the cupboards for the pans she would need and finally found them then set them on the stove. She started the process by chopping up the ingredients she would need to make homemade sauce, which I knew she made amazingly. Luckily she found vine-ripened tomatoes in the refrigerator and all the spices, oils, and wine she needed in the cupboards.

"Oh my God, who invaded my house driving a Porsche and cooking?" Bryan yelled as I heard the front door slam and he rounded the corner into the kitchen sniffing the air, "The house has never smelled this amazing."

Savannah smiled up at him and I could understand the look in his eyes when he saw her standing there, wearing an apron and cooking, as if she were a housewife. He looked like he wanted to devour her.

"Surprise." Savannah was grinning.

"Best surprise ever." Bryan stood behind her kissing her neck for several seconds before he saw me, "Hey Lucas, how's it goin'?"

"Great, thanks." I replied.

"What are you two doing here?" Bryan set his bag down finally and headed for the sink, washing his hands and then coming back to dip his finger in her sauce so that he could taste it. It must have tasted good because he rewarded Savannah with a kiss for it.

"Escaping for a day." Savannah replied happily, "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Um…" Bryan shrugged, "December 18th?"

"And…" Savannah was clearly waiting for him to wish her a happy birthday but he just shook his head as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"It's one week before Christmas." He volunteered, "Does that make it special?"

"Bryan!" Savannah frowned, "It's my birthday you dick!"

He began to laugh loudly and walked straight to his backpack, pulling out a small robin's egg blue bag and turning to her, setting it on the counter so she could clearly see it.

"I was just messing with you. Of course I remembered." He kissed her lips and for a second I felt like I was intruding, so I looked away.

"Is that a Tiffany's bag?" Savannah asked, still stirring her spaghetti sauce and I figured it was safe to turn back towards them.

"It is."

"What's in it?" She asked excitedly.

"You'll have to open it to see." Bryan responded.

"But I'm cooking. I can't open it yet." Savannah pouted.

"Well then…" Bryan took the bag off the counter and placed it on a small table at the opposite end of the room, "You will just have to wait."

Savannah sighed and went back to cooking while Bryan grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and offered me one, which I gladly took.

"She give you the tour Lucas or go straight for the kitchen?" Bryan asked.

"We were both hungry so we came straight here." I replied, taking the first sip from my beer, "I can already tell it's an amazing house though."

"It's comfortable." Bryan nodded, "I definitely like it here. It's close to campus and we've got privacy. The backyard is amazing."

"I want to do my next photo shoot here." Savannah spoke up, "Would that be ok?"

"Of course." Bryan drunk from his beer and winked at Savannah then turned back to me, "You were thinking about going to Chapel Hill right?"

"Yeah, it's an awesome school. It has a good writing program which is what I think I want to major in plus the basketball program is awesome and it wouldn't be too far from home so that if my mom needed me, I could still be close by."

"I forget what it's like to actually want to be near your family." Bryan sighed, "Chapel Hill is a really great school though. You know, if you decided to go there, you could be our third roommate if we haven't found someone. You seem like a good guy and it would save you the frustration of living in the dorms. They suck, seriously. You do not want to live there."

"Thanks man. That would be awesome. Save me some money in case I don't get a scholarship."

"Yeah, Nico, my roommate…"

"He let us in." Savannah groaned, "You realize he gets weirder every time I see him?"

"You'll warm up to him." Bryan laughed, "Anyway, Nico's cool plus we really do our own thing so it would be just like having your own place you know? Probably save you a lot of money because you wouldn't have to commute far. We always have groceries thanks to my dad insisting on having the maid stock the kitchen once a week. There's the maid who cleans up after us."

"Seriously?" I questioned, not being able to imagine living that kind of lifestyle.

"Seriously." Bryan nodded, "Only the best for Daddy's pride and joy."

Savannah and Bryan simultaneously rolled their eyes and I knew I was missing something but I didn't want to pry.

"Plus, you would save me a huge hassle for having to tell Camille that I refuse to let her boyfriend live here."

"Oh my god, Camille wants Tim to move in here?" Savannah began to laugh, "You're joking right?"

"I wish I was. She's been begging me because I guess Tim is going to be going to Chapel Hill next year so she's trying to secure off campus living for him now." Bryan sighed, "And fine, if he makes my little sister happy but I can't live with him."

I definitely understood. Tim was cool to have around but he was so stupid sometimes it hurt my head.

"Well, if I decide to go to Chapel Hill, I would definitely appreciate a place like this to live. I just haven't decided yet because of my girlfriend…"

"Where is Brooke anyway? Or the rest of the clan?" Bryan asked.

"At school." Savannah smiled, "We ditched and sort of left them there."

Bryan cocked his eyebrow questioning the motives.

"I didn't want to be at school and Lucas needed to get away from Tree Hill for the day." Savannah shrugged, "And if the whole gang disappeared someone would have noticed."

"If that's your story." Bryan smiled and then sniffed the air, "You are torturing me here. Is that food ready yet?"

Savannah switched off all the burners and nodded.

"Yes, food is ready. Can I open my present now?"

"Yes." Bryan replied.

Savannah hurriedly pulled a small blue box out of the small blue bag and opened it up, gasping as she saw the necklace inside. She pulled it out of the box and let it twirl in the air.

"I can't believe that you remembered I liked this one." She turned and let Bryan put the necklace on her, "Thank you so much!"

When the necklace was clasped she jumped into Bryan's arms and they kissed passionately. I again turned around.

"Luke, isn't it beautiful?" Savannah came around and allowed me to get a good look at the necklace.

It was a white gold circle on the outside with the roman numerals for 3, 4, 5, and 6 circling the inside circle which was diamonds set in another white gold circle. It looked like a tiny clock hanging on her neck and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"That is beautiful. Brooke is going to want one."

Savannah looked back at Bryan and blew him a kiss as he watched her thoughtfully, like he was contemplating something.

"Alright, let's eat." Savannah pulled three plates from the cupboard and set them on the counter so that Bryan and I could grab a plate and serve ourselves.

It was around noon when we had finished eating, sitting at the dining room table laughing loudly as Savannah and Bryan told stories from their childhood about each other and about Camille, Xander, and Mariah.

"And the one summer when we all vacationed in Australia when Camille wouldn't listen to anyone and insisted on running into the water and ended up getting stung by all those jellyfish." Bryan laughed, "Oh my God, she was crying for hours."

"Those things hurt." Savannah pouted but she was still laughing, "Poor Cammie."

My phone rang and it was then I realized that it was lunchtime in Tree Hill, and Brooke must just be getting the chance to call. Sure enough, the caller ID said "girlfriend" on it.

"Hey pretty girl." I tried to answer cheerfully.

"Where the hell are you?" She replied angrily, "I can tell you where you're not, school. I looked for you after second period. I looked for you during 4th and here we are, lunch time and no Lucas anywhere. Come to think of it, we're missing a Savannah too so where in the hell are you two?"

"We are in Chapel Hill." I answered honestly, "Hanging with Bryan. We just finished lunch."

"Why are you there?" Brooke yelled, "I saw you just before second period. If you were going to ditch, you could have told me. I would have gone with you Lucas and instead you don't even bother to text me?"

"We just needed to get out of town for a few hours Brooke and if we had told you we would have had to tell Nathan, Camille, Tim, Bevin, Peyton…"

"No, you could have just told me! Remember? I'm your girlfriend."

I hated it when Brooke was mad at me. She scared me when she was mad.

"Brooke, I'm sorry ok? We didn't think about it. We just left."

"When are you coming back?"

I turned to Savannah and asked her quietly when we were going back to Tree Hill.

"Umm…" She looked at Bryan who shrugged, "Tell her we will definitely be back before the party starts at 9."

"Savannah says we will definitely be back before the party starts at 9." I told Brooke who huffed a little but agreed, "Brooke, it's not like we wanted to leave you there. We just both needed a break from life so we left."

"I was just worried about you guys." Brooke sighed, " I mean, you just disappeared. I didn't think you would do that without telling me first."

"I'm sorry beautiful. I will make it up to you ok?"

"Ok." Brooke took a deep breath, "I better go tell Nathan where you are so he stops going crazy too. We were all worried about you."

"Tell everyone we are sorry for making them worry. We'll see you tonight ok?"

"Ok."

"I love you."

"Love you too." Brooke hung up and so did I, setting the phone down on the table and sighing, "Sorry about that. I think she's fine now."

"Hey, um… what was your friend's name? The girl who was married to Nathan?" Bryan asked suddenly.

"Is married to Nathan." Savannah corrected him, "Haley, why?"

"Haley James?" Bryan questioned further.

"Haley James-Scott." Savannah replied again, "Why?"

"She's playing a concert here tonight with the Wreckers at the school. Did you know she was in town?"

I looked to Savannah who looked back at me, shaking her head no while I did the same.

"It starts at six if either of you wanted to see it. You could probably see it and then still make it home by 9. I don't know if you wanted to…" Bryan looked at Savannah who shrugged.

"The only problem I have with her is that she broke my best friend's heart. She's the one who has always had a problem with me, but she is Lucas's best friend. You wanna go see Haley?"

My heart told me I should. We hadn't talked since the argument on the phone a couple weeks ago and I did miss my best friend.

"I do but we don't have to do that Savannah. I'm sure it's the last thing you want to do on your birthday."

"I don't mind." Savannah shrugged, "Like I said, I have no problem with her. We should go. Where do we get tickets?"

"I know the girl working the box office. I'll call and get them for us." Bryan pulled out his phone and dialed a number quickly, "Hey Caitlyn? It's Bryan. Yeah, how are you?"

Savannah smiled at me and stood to gather our plates as I listened to Bryan's side of the conversation.

"Yeah, so I need three tickets for tonight. Can I do that? Yeah, actually two of Haley's friends from Tree Hill are my friends too and they happened to drop in today and so I told them Haley and the Wreckers are playing here tonight. Oh, her best friend Lucas and her husband's best friend Savannah who is actually celebrating her 18th birthday today. Didn't know she was married? Yeah, they're divorcing though. Long story. So can we still get tickets?" Bryan paused and then began to grin, "Thank you so much Caitlyn. We'll see you tonight."

Bryan hung up the phone and smiled over at me.

"We are in. Three tickets. We need to go pick them up directly from Caitlyn before 3 pm so, what do you guys want to do now?"

"Where is Caitlyn?" Savannah asked.

"On campus. She lives in the dorms." Bryan replied, "We can head to campus. I can show you guys around. We can stop into admissions if you want and we can get you the application and everything. Probably need to get that filled out soon if you wanna go here. We can stop by and see if the basketball coach is available. You could talk to him."

I nodded my approval and Savannah agreed as well. She grabbed her purse and the three of us headed out to the driveway.

"I really wanna drive my Porsche but it won't seat all of us." Savannah pouted, staring at the beautiful car.

"Sorry baby girl." Bryan pulled Savannah against his side and kissed her temple, "We'll drive my car and buy you a Porsche later."

She grinned and agreed to ride in his car for the time being. Maybe she would get that new car for her birthday after all.

"Wow…" I stopped dead at his car, my mouth falling open, "This is a 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur… 6 liter engine… man, this car is beautiful."

"Thanks." Bryan shrugged, " I've been driving this one lately. I have an Infiniti in the garage too and I just figured I'd get the last bit of driving out of this car though. My dad trades it in every year for a new one. I should already have the 2007 but it's backordered. New model or something."

I slipped into the backseat, letting Savannah sit up front with Bryan as we pulled out of the long driveway and headed the few miles down the road to campus.

"Welcome to The University of North Carolina." Bryan sighed as we pulled a parking lot and into an open parking spot, "First stop for Mr. Lucas Scott is Jackson Hall, the office of undergraduate admissions. Come on you two."

There was a bit of a short walk and then we entered Jackson Hall and Bryan directed us towards the office we needed to start with.

"Good afternoon Grace. How are you?" Bryan greeted the young secretary.

"Hi Bryan." Grace smiled back at him and looked Savannah and I over, "Let me guess. Prospects?"

"One of them. This one is just along for the ride." Bryan pulled Savannah to his side and then pointed in my direction, "Lucas Scott is a senior at Tree Hill High School in Tree Hill and they are visiting me for the day. He is interested in attending here next year as a… Journalism did you say Luke?"

"Maybe." I shrugged, feeling sort of put on the spot, "I haven't really decided. I just know that I want to play basketball."

"A basketball player." Grace smiled at me, "Well, no worries. You don't have to decide your major yet. Let me get you the forms you'll need. Have you taken your SAT's yet?"

"Yes. I had them sent here."

"Ok, good, then we probably already have a file started for you. Scott did you say?" Grace typed in her computer and smiled, "Lucas or Nathan did you say?"

"Lucas. I think Nate's going to Duke, if he can get in."

"And if he can play basketball there." Savannah added.

"And that." I agreed, knowing Nathan would go to any school that would let him play for them.

"Oh, ok. So you do know each other." Grace didn't ask any other questions but smiled at me, "We do have you in the system Lucas. Great SAT scores. I can preprint some of your forms which will save you some time filling them out. Just give me a few minutes."

Bryan, Savannah, and I chit-chatted for a bit while we waited for Grace to return with my forms. She came back with a large blue folder already full of forms and she set it on the counter in front of me, opening it up and pulling out a couple forms.

"Ok, right here is a list of what you will need to submit and your deadlines. The first deadline has already past. You have a few weeks to go before second deadline so you need to get these in as soon as possible. These forms are your application. We will also need a statement from your school counselor and your transcripts, current up to this point in your academic career. We can get final transcripts when the school year is over, we just need the current ones to get you started. We need a letter from at least one of your teachers as a recommendation. This form is your residency completion. Your parents can help you with that one as most likely it will be based on their information anyway. We already have your…" Grace looked at her computer screen and nodded, "SAT, ACT, AP English Lit, AP US History, and AP Trigonometry scores, so you don't need to worry about those. If you are taking AP classes this year and you take the AP tests, make sure the scores are sent here so that we will have those on file as well. We also require one long and one short essay on topics of your choice. Those are outlined on this page. You also have all your financial aid applications in here so you can apply for financial aid which is of course offered based on your parents income unless you are financially dependent already. Finally we do require a 70 non-refundable application fee. Any questions?"

"Since I'm such an amazing student do I get to give him my stamp of approval?" Bryan asked her and she grinned.

"Sure Bryan, although I doubt the admissions committee cares."

"Ouch." Bryan frowned, "Well fine. I am going to take these two on a tour and let him talk to the basketball coach. Is that cool?"

"Of course." Grace smiled again at both Savannah and I, "Good luck Lucas. We look forward to receiving your application."

"I'll get it in soon." I told her and we exited the building, my brain swirling just with all the different forms I had to fill out.

"Don't worry. It's not that hard." Bryan assured me, "We'll get you in to the school. My dad has pull with the admissions committee so I can talk to him if you want me to."

"Thanks, I'll let you know." I said, "Alright, so where to next?"

Bryan continued the tour of the campus, driving us to some places and walking to others. The campus with all the dorms and auditoriums and classrooms was huge, bigger than I could have ever imagined. We ended it all in a small building close to but not quite at the basketball stadium.

"This is where Coach Trent's office is. We can go inside and see if he's here if you'd like." Bryan offered, "Then we gotta go find Caitlyn to get the tickets."

I looked at my watch and realized it was already 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The day seemed to be flying by. Right about now Whitey would be yelling at the rest of the team because I wasn't at practice.

"Yeah, let's go inside." I accepted.

Bryan held the door open for Savannah and I to enter the building, then led us to a door down the hallway which clearly read "Coach Trent" on the door. Bryan knocked quietly and a loud "come in" came from inside.

"Coach Trent…" Bryan opened the door slowly.

"Bryan Stevens, how are you son?" Coach Trent stood and shook Bryan's hand, "How's your dad?"

"He's doing good. He's still working primarily from New York and I think they're talking about expanding again, but nothing's final just yet. I brought some visitor's for you to meet." Bryan moved to the side allowing Coach Trent to see both Savannah and I, "This is Savannah Carter. She is…"

"Deacon Carter's youngest daughter." Coach Trent reached forward and shook Savannah's hand, "I recognize you from your father's photos. We go back a long time. I'm surprised we've never meant."

"It's nice to meet you." Savannah grinned and shook his hand back.

"You played basketball didn't you? In Los Angeles?"

"Yeah…" Savannah sighed.

"Well, I'm sure you still play somewhere, just not for a team huh? I heard the story."

"It's not a pleasant story." Savannah laughed, "Yeah, I play sometimes. Mostly in my backyard or at the River Court in Tree Hill where I live now. I kick this guys butt often."

She pointed at me and I laughed at her sarcastically. Bryan and Coach Trent laughed with me.

"Hi, Chris Trent." The Coach shook my hand.

"Lucas Scott."

"Lucas Scott…" Coach Trent nodded, "I've heard of you. Tree Hill High School, averages 18 points a game, shooting guard, just started playing for the Ravens last year after most of the team was suspended. Am I right?"

"That's me."

"First son of Dan Scott and brother to Nathan Scott…" Coach Trent nodded, "Yeah, I've heard of you. What brings you here today?"

"Lucas is considering attending next year, so we took him to admissions to start the process and thought we would bring him over here to meet you. He wants to play basketball here." Bryan explained.

"Is that right?" Coach Trent looked me over with a nod, "Well, I can't say officially, but my assistant coaches and I are gonna be looking around for some new blood. Our first planned stop is Tree Hill. Where's Nathan planning on going?"

"Duke." I replied, sort of looking at Savannah for confirmation because she would have known better than me.

"Too bad. I would love to have you both. I hear the Scott brothers are a phenomenal duo."

"We've learned to work well together." I agreed, "It's all a trust issue. I know he's gonna do whatever he can to get to the basket and he knows I will too. We've learned to read each other on the court."

"Well, like I said, I can't officially say anything yet, but we'll be down to see you play son." Coach Trent smiled at us all, "Now I hate to do this but I have a lot of work to do. It was very nice meeting you Savannah. Bryan, great seeing you. Both of you say hi to your father's for me. Lucas, we'll see you soon."

We left the Coach's office building and I felt like I was floating on cloud 9.

"So yeah, that's pretty much his way of saying that if you get into the school you're on the team." Bryan assured me as we began our walk back to the car, "So now you just have to get that application in because you have a spot on the team, a place to live…"

"This is amazing." I didn't know what else to say. Never had I imagined that things would fall into place this easily.

"So seriously, fill out your application and we'll get you in. Like I said, my dad has pull so even if they don't approve you on their own, we can get you in to the school." Bryan said, "And if it's financial aid, we can get you that too. You have nothing to worry about.

I would have to think about it a little bit more, but it was hard not to be happy about the way things were working out. I was very optimistic about the whole situation and with Bryan being so cool about it all, I had no qualms about accepting his offer to live in his house either. I just needed to talk to Brooke and my mom now.

"Alright, so off to Caitlyn's." Savannah twirled around and both Bryan and I laughed at her, "Get some tickets to see Haley in concert."

"We really don't have to do that Savannah. It is your birthday." I said to her, "I can just call Haley. We don't have to see her."

"No, I want to. It's cool." Savannah grinned, "Thanks though."

We found Caitlyn's dorm pretty easily and Bryan knocked on the door. A pretty blonde girl swung open the door and grinned at us.

"Bryan Stevens, knocking on my door. Who would have thought?" She laughed, "Come on in. Caitlyn's in the shower. You're here for tickets to see Haley James right?"

"Right." Bryan led us into the room following the girl, "Savannah, Lucas this is Sheena. Sheena, this is Savannah Carter, my sister's best friend and Lucas Scott, Haley James's best friend."

"Oh, that's awesome." Sheena grinned at me but I was more interested to see the look on Savannah's face from being introduced as Camille's best friend instead of Bryan's girlfriend. She definitely didn't look happy but as soon as Bryan looked over at her the smile reappeared, clearly a defense mechanism so that he didn't realize he had made a mistake.

"Sheena! Is that Bryan?" A voice from the tiny bathroom to our right called out.

"Yes!" Sheena yelled back.

"K, be out in a sec."

"So, why buy tickets from Caitlyn? If you know Haley couldn't she just get you in for free anyway." Sheena asked me.

"Probably." I admitted, "But we didn't know she was playing here until after we were in town and so Bryan offered to get the tickets and I figured we could surprise Haley instead."

It wasn't a complete lie. The second half of the story was that I didn't even know if Haley would want to talk to me as we weren't exactly on the best of terms right now.

"Hi." Caitlyn, a tall redheaded girl emerged from the bathroom, towel drying her hair and walking around in tiny cheer shorts and a black tank top, "Here are your tickets."

She pulled three tickets from the top drawer of a desk sitting near the window and handed them to Bryan.

"I included three all access wristbands. Those will get you backstage since I'm assuming you want to see your best friend right?" She smiled over at me, "I'm Caitlyn by the way."

"Lucas." I shook her hand and so did Savannah, introducing herself as well.

"Happy Birthday Savannah." Caitlyn grinned, "18 right?"

"Yeah, 18." Savannah laughed, "The only thing that changes now is that I can buy cigarettes which I don't smoke so yay me!"

"Well, you can move out on your own now. You can vote. You can… um, fuck older guys." Caitlyn suggested, "There has to be more…"

"Well, I already live on my own and fuck older guys so… I guess I can vote and buy cigarettes." Savannah laughed again, louder this time, "So much to celebrate."

Caitlyn laughed with her.

"Well, no matter what, it's your birthday so that at least means you get birthday sex and cake, so enjoy those."

"That I will." Savannah instinctively wrapped her arm around Bryan's waist and he put his around her shoulders, squeezing her to his side.

"Alright, thank you so much for these." Bryan pulled money out of his wallet and handed it to Caitlyn, "I will see you around."

"Yeah, thanks." Caitlyn stuffed the cash into her shirt and winked at me, "See you tonight."

Savannah, Bryan and I left the dorms laughing together. We headed back to the car, checking the time as we walked.

"Alright, so it's about 4 o'clock. I'm not starved but I'm gonna be hungry before the concert so I say we go get a bite and then head to the concert. What do you think?" Bryan asked us.

Savannah and I both agreed to the plan and so we all drove to have dinner at a nearby sushi restaurant before we went back to campus for the concert.

"I'm kind of nervous." Savannah whispered to me as we followed Bryan towards the backstage area of the concert hall, "What if she freaks out about seeing me?"

"It'll be fine." I reassured her, although I was nervous too.

Savannah looked like she still needed reassurance so I offered her my arm and she took it, clinging to me as if she could be walking to her death.

There was no trouble getting past security and once we were in the backstage area we looked around, trying to figure out where to go. It was small and dark but we started walking, hoping we would eventually run into someone who could tell us where to go.

"Lucas?"

I turned in the direction someone had called out my name but instead of Haley, who was the only person I thought would recognize me in Chapel Hill other than the two people I was walking with, it was Jake Jagielski.

"Jake?" I went to him and we greeted each other, "Dude, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Jake replied with a smile, "I'm here with the band. They asked me to come play with them tonight."

"We came to see Haley." I replied still a little confused.

"Hi, I'm Savannah." Savannah reached out to shake Jake's hand and I realized I hadn't introduced them.

"Sorry, Savannah, Bryan, this is Jake Jagielski and Jake, this is Savannah Carter and Bryan Stevens."

"The infamous Savannah Carter." Jake raised an eyebrow at her and she raised hers back.

"The infamous Jake Jagielski."

"It's nice to finally meet you Savannah. I've heard a lot about you.

"From Haley?" Savannah grinned, "Probably all bad then right?"

"Well, you could say it's bad or you could say she was jealous, either way." Jake smiled at Savannah and then turned back to me, "So does Haley know you're here?"

"No, it's kind of a coincidence that we are here actually. Today is Savannah's birthday. We ditched school this morning and came here to see Bryan and he told us she was playing here tonight and he got us in, so… we were just walking around trying to find her."

"Well, come on. I'll take you." Jake led us through the hallways and to a small door which he knocked on lightly.

Inside a girl and guys voice could be heard yelling for us to enter. Jake winked at us before leading us inside where we found Haley sitting on a small couch, strumming her guitar quietly with a guy sitting next to her strumming his as well.

"Hey Jake, tell me…" Haley's voice faltered when she looked up and saw Savannah and I standing there, "Oh my God."

She was slow at first, standing and setting down her guitar but almost immediately she had run to me and jumped into my arms, wrapping her entire body around me.

"Lucas, I'm so sorry for yelling at you the other day and you're right. I should have just called everyone and I'm being stupid. I'm so glad you're here. Wait…" Haley slid down and looked at me, calming a bit, "What are you doing here?"

"Well… today is Savannah's birthday." I pointed to Savannah who stood slightly back from where I was standing, clearly unsure of where she stood in the whole reunion, "And we both decided this morning that we didn't want to be in school so we jumped on Xander's plane and headed here to see Bryan, and then he told us that you were playing here tonight and got us tickets and so here we are."

"Really?" Haley smiled at me and then turned to smile at Bryan, "Thank you. This is… so amazing. I'm Haley by the way."

"Bryan." Bryan shook her hand and then returned to his spot against the nearby wall.

There was a moment of awkward silence and then Haley turned to Savannah out her hand for Savannah to shake.

"Hi, I'm Haley. You might have heard that I'm a royal class A bitch, mostly because I have been for awhile, but I just want you to know that I'm not going to be that person anymore and so I thought I should reintroduce myself and say Happy Birthday!"

I looked at Jake who smiled at me and shrugged so I turned my attention back to Haley and Savannah.

"Um, yeah." Savannah shook Haley's hand, "I'm Savannah. You might have known me as a whore and crazy lunatic husband stealer but I just want you to know that all I have ever wanted was for Nathan to be happy and I never, ever meant to hurt you."

"Thank you." Haley smiled and then gave Savannah a hug, "I'm so glad you guys are here! Where's the rest of the gang?"

"At home." I replied, watching Bryan pull Savannah to his side as we soaked in the warm reception, "Brooke's pissed at us for leaving her there because basically we were on our way to second period and then just decided to leave."

"The Lucas Scott I knew would have never just ditched school for no reason. Catch me up on everything. What's been going on in Tree Hill? Haley has no gossip to share." Jake asked.

Bryan, Savannah and I found chairs to sit in and we started to tell them everything that was going on starting from when Savannah had moved to Tree Hill to the most recent event which was Peyton's wedding.

"So Peyton's married huh?" Jake looked a little sad.

"And pregnant." Savannah volunteered with a frown, "Sorry."

"No, it's cool." Jake smiled at her, "I couldn't expect her to wait for me forever. I mean, I left at the end of the school year and I told her to move on."

"She didn't want to at first." I told him, "At the beginning of the summer, she was a mess but then Savannah moved in and brought Xander with her and he sort of swept her off her feet."

"I'm glad she's happy." Jake said, "I mean, if she's happy that's all I can really ask for. And truthfully, I've sort of started a life for me and Jenny in Savannah now and then this whole touring thing…"

"It sounds so weird to hear my name used in that context." Savannah laughed which made the rest of us laugh too.

"Oh guys, I'm sorry. This is Ben. He plays guitar in my band and we right songs together." Haley finally introduced the guy who was sitting on the couch with her, still sort of strumming his guitar quietly, "Ben, you probably already figured out this is my best friend Lucas and Savannah…"

"The girl you blamed for ruining your marriage." Ben winked at Savannah, "Yeah, nice to meet you."

"You too."

"And Bryan who is Savannah's best friend Camille's brother… right?" Haley tried to explain.

"Right." Bryan laughed.

We all shook Ben's hand and he went back to strumming the guitar.

"So are you guys staying for the whole concert?" Haley asked us, "Cause afterward we were all planning to go out and get food and stuff… you could join us."

"We're gonna stay for the concert but then we have to get back. Savannah's birthday party starts at 9 and we promised Brooke we would be back before it started." I told her.

"How, exactly, would they throw a birthday party for a birthday girl who isn't present?" Jake laughed, "They have to go back."

"Oh." Haley nodded, "Well that's cool. Yeah, we were going out for like an end of tour celebration. Tonight's the last concert."

"Hales, if this is the last concert of the tour, what are you going to do now?" I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea what came next for my best friend.

"Well, I just signed a recording contract with Sony so they want to put me up in Los Angeles to start recording and writing and just… I don't know, doing the things a signed recording artist does. I'm not really sure what it entails. I'm excited but nervous you know?"

"Los Angeles is not as scary as it sounds." Savannah spoke up, "Especially if the label puts you up in the hills, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, whatever. The views are amazing and are easily the most calming thing in the world. I have friends there that I could hook you up with and they could show you around. Bryan, you still know people there that could help Haley out right?"

"Yeah, of course." Bryan had just been taking everything in, watching all of the interaction observantly.

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that. I'm just so scared of living in a new city where I know absolutely no one. I mean, I'm from Tree Hill! Going from that to Los Angeles is scary."

"You'll be fine." I assured her, "And maybe we can come visit you, right?"

Savannah agreed and we all fell into a comfortable silence.

"So Jake, how is Jenny? What ever happened with Nikki?" I finally asked and Jake smiled, sitting down near us.

"This is a good story." He said, "Alright, so I left to get Jenny back right? I had to chase Nikki everywhere and it was really hard because I didn't have that much money but I knew that she was going one of three places and was just zig zagging to get there. She was either going to her parents, which I figured were out because they had wanted her to give up Jenny in the first place and they live like an hour outside of Tree Hill now. There was the option that she was going back to friends who lived near where she went to college but that was unlikely because she knew I would look for her there or there was Ben…"

Bryan, Savannah and I all looked at Ben who was still strumming his guitar happily.

"Yes, this Ben." Jake answered before we could ask, "He's Nikki's brother and he was the most likely choice for me because I knew that he and Nikki hated each other but he lived the farthest from Tree Hill, in Los Angeles."

"It was a lot of fun when Nikki showed up with Jenny and Jake was already there, so I just took my niece, handed her to Jake, and let Nikki rot." Ben grinned happily, "She's still trying to figure out how it happened I think but after I threatened her life if she didn't leave Jake and Jenny alone, she finally caved. I think she's back with our parents now."

"I won't even ask why you guys hate each other." I said to Ben and then turned back to Jake, "That's awesome man. So you're in Savannah with Jenny permanently now?"

Savannah shivered at the reference to her name and Jake laughed at her.

"Yeah, I think so. We've been traveling for a week with these guys, starting in Louisiana then Alabama and back here. When Ben found out that Haley knew me, he called and asked if I wanted to join them on the road so I figured it'd be a good opportunity."

"He doesn't believe me that I want him to come record tracks with me for the album." Haley sighed, "These two guys have helped me write all the music for my album. I mean, I have a whole book full of songs to choose from. We just sit on the bus and come up with song after song together."

We talked awhile longer about the tour and catching up with Jake. Overall, it was great to see that Haley was enjoying the tour. Knowing that Nathan was a bit miserable at home, it seemed a little unfair for her to be getting over the situation so easily, but I was happy for my best friend. Everything was working out for her.

Savannah's phone ringing interrupted the conversation and when she looked at the caller ID she cringed.

"It's Nathan. I'll be right back."

She left the room and all of us quiet in it. I didn't know what to say, or how Haley was going to react. She seemed to be turning over a new leaf but at the same time, I was positive it still hurt that she wasn't getting Nathan back.

"I'm ok." She assured all of us although none of us asked, "It's fine. I've sort of come to terms with all of it you know? I mean, things are going so well for me right now that I just figure, we'll go our separate ways now and in the future, if things are meant to work out, we'll come together again. If not, then we'll find other people. I can't sit around moping though. I mean, I left. I have no right to expect him to wait for me or… I don't know. I just know that I have to start somewhere and right now I am moving towards my music."

"Sorry about that." Savannah came back in the room shortly, looking at Haley for a reaction. Haley didn't give her one except for a smile.

"I'm fine with the whole thing with you and Nathan, Savannah. Date him or don't date him." Haley said and everyone's mouths fell open, "Pick up your jaws. Nathan has made it 100 clear to me that we are not getting back together so I'm supposed to remain jealous forever at every girl he dates? I've learned my lesson with jealousy. It only brings bad results. Date him if you want to Savannah. As long as he's happy. You and I have the same goal there. I just want Nathan to be happy."

It wasn't until that moment that I realized exactly how much being on tour for a few weeks had changed Haley. Sure, she had been cheerful the whole time we had been there. And yes, she had suddenly decided Savannah was a good person and apologized for being how she had been to her, but the fact that she was giving up on her marriage to Nathan so easily was definitely not the Haley I knew.

The room was quiet. Savannah seemed to be a little uncomfortable with the idea of Haley telling her to date Nathan if she wanted to. Haley was staring at us, apparently waiting for a reaction. No one said a word.

"Awkward." Ben sang to a tune he was playing on his guitar.

"Why'd you guys get so quiet?" Haley asked us, looking from Bryan to me to Savannah and back to me.

"I just didn't expect you to tell Savannah to date Nathan." I admitted, "You're different and I'm deciding if I like it."

Haley bit her lower lip like she always did when she was nervous, waiting for me to finish what I had to say.

"Nathan's not happy." Savannah said before I could continue, "You and I have the same goal right? For Nathan to be happy? Well, he's not because you left him. And I can tell you with absolute certainty he would not sit here with a straight face and tell someone else to date you because he loves you. You're right, he's never going to take you back but a few weeks after leaving your husband who you apparently loved with all your heart, you shouldn't be ok. It was a bad idea to come here. You guys stay if you want, but I need to go."

"Savannah…" Bryan stood as she stood and grabbed her arm before she left.

She turned to him, shaking her head and refusing to turn and look back at Haley who was now crying.

"I can't be sad all the time." Haley replied suddenly and Savannah then turned to look at her, "Do you expect me to cry all the time? Because I did for the first week. The second week I cried every other day, not because I didn't want to cry every day, but because I forced myself to be strong. To take responsibility for my actions. To make myself admit that I had made a mistake. The third week it got a little bit better and progressively from there I just decided that I had to let him go. I'm not happy either Savannah but I'm making the best of the situation I put myself in. I'm not ok with you dating Nathan, but I wanted you to think I was because maybe, just maybe, if I give him to you, knowing that you will protect him with your life, he might be ok. I tell you to date him because no one else who dates him is going to be able to understand him the way you do. No one else who dates him has his best interests in mind. No one else is going to care about him the way you care about him. No one is going to love him the way you love him."

I wanted to hold Haley and let her know everything was going to be ok, but it was like an invisible barrier held me back from comforting her. As if I subconsciously knew that going to her side and telling her it was ok was a betrayal to Nathan and I realized how much I was in the middle of this whole thing. I also realized that she had been faking her happiness the whole time we had been there.

"Stay." I whispered to Savannah, "Don't leave like this."

Savannah turned to Bryan who was still holding her arm. She looked over at me and then to Haley. She glanced over at Jake who was observing the situation and at Ben who had actually stopped strumming his guitar to watch Haley intently.

"Ok." Savannah said simply coming back and sitting in her chair.

When Savannah was seated, moving closer to Bryan who seemed to instinctively know that she needed comfort, I went to Haley and hugged her, knowing that this was all just as hard on her as it was on Nathan. Haley had to deal with the guilt of leaving. Nathan had to deal with the pain of being left.

"It's gonna be ok. We're not leaving yet." I whispered into Haley's hair, "Don't cry."

"I messed up so huge Luke," Haley sniffled, "But I don't want to be sad all the time."

"I know." I rubbed her back, "I know. It's ok."

"It's not ok. She's right. I shouldn't be allowed to be happy again."

There was a loud knock on the door and a tall guy entered quickly.

"Haley, you have ten minutes to curtain."

Haley took a deep breath, wiping away her tears as Ben and Jake turned to begin to gather all the things that needed to go on stage with them.

"See you after the show?" Jake asked, before he left the room with his equipment.

"Yeah." I nodded at him.

He smiled at Savannah and Bryan and then headed out of the room, Ben following close behind.

"You're going to be fine." I assured Haley, still holding her in my embrace, "Go out there and kick ass ok?"

"Ok." She nodded, putting her emotions in check and turning to grab her guitar, "There's um… there's an area on the side of the stage you guys can stand and watch from if you want. That way you have a good view and you don't have to go compete with the people who are already waiting out there."

"Thanks." I looked at Bryan and Savannah who agreed.

"Alright, see you out there." Haley headed out of the room leaving Bryan, Savannah, and I alone.

"Wow. That was intense." Bryan said quietly, "Savannah…"

"Sorry I upset her." Savannah sighed, turning to look me in the eye, "I just didn't expect…"

"I know." She didn't need to explain to me because I heard everything from both points of view, "Let's enjoy the concert and then head back to Tree Hill so that you can enjoy your party ok? I'm sorry this didn't end up great for you."

"No, I'm having a good time I just… my instinct is to protect Nathan with my life." She sighed, "And her saying to date him… I snapped. I'm really sorry."

Bryan pulled her into his arms as if he felt she needed to be comforted but more than looking upset, she just seemed lost in her thoughts, as if she were contemplating the entire situation. She let herself be held but she just seemed to be deep in thought.

"Well, let's go watch the show."

We found the stage and the area of the stage where they wanted us to stand pretty easily. The curtains were still closed but Haley was sitting center stage behind a keyboard, her guitar in place behind her, waiting to be used. Ben and Jake were grouped on the stage closest to us, both ready with their own guitars. There was a drummer and bassist on stage as well.

"Ladies and Gentleman, please give a warm welcome to your opening act for tonight's concert, Haley James!"

"Didn't take her long to drop the Scott." Savannah sighed, more to herself than to anyone else.

I watched Savannah for a second, debating the best way to respond, but as the concert began, the time for response fell to the wayside.

The music began with just a few notes from the keyboard and a slow drum beat.

"_I like to think I know how to look out for myself. I've got ways and means to filter wrong guys out. When the B.S. meter is slamming into the red, I just walk away 'cause I'm not interested."_

Not that I was planning on keeping score tonight, but this one was clearly going to be about Nathan.

"_And then I met a boy who didn't hit on me. I did not suspect reverse psychology. You knew, if you'd knocked I wouldn't have let you in. How'd you get the code to my security system?"_

Haley went into what I assumed was the chorus and I couldn't help but smile. I had no idea when she had written this song but it was cute and catchy and I could definitely see, although I knew it all along, why the rest of the world was pushing Haley James to be a superstar.

"_I think some tricky angel just knocked me on the head. Made me look at you different. Made me see some sense. Tricky angel got me falling, without my consent. And I'm so glad he did 'cause I didn't know you were heaven sent."_

"_I was writing you off, making a huge mistake. His intervention rescued us from fate. I don't know how, but somehow you got me down. You just broke into me and ignored that it wasn't allowed."_

"_Someone's being sneaky, sneaky 'cause I'm so hard to please. I was so picky, picky. So cupid take the boxes for me"_

"_I think some tricky angel just knocked me on the head. Made me look at you different. Made me see some sense. Tricky angel got me falling without my consent. And I'm so glad he did 'cause I didn't know you were heaven sent."_

Haley's energy seemed to radiate from every pore of her body. It was like there was the Haley I knew as my best friend who was sort of awkward and goofy. The girl who tutored people at school and made the corniest jokes I had ever heard and suddenly, although this Haley had begun to emerge the moment she met Nathan, Haley had become this incredible, energetic, talented, amazing person who people would pay to see and meet and get her autograph.

I looked out into the audience and people were singing along and cheering loudly.

"_Under the radar, you slipped into my heart. You gave me a taste for what I didn't know that I wanted. When I wasn't looking you did what I least expected. Tiptoed in while I was sleeping and I'm wide awake now."_

"_I think some tricky angel just knocked me on the head. Made me look at you different. Made me see some sense. Tricky angel got me falling without my consent. And I'm so glad he did 'cause I didn't know you were heaven sent."_

"_I think some tricky angel just knocked me on the head. Made me look at you different. Made me see some sense. Tricky angel got me falling without my consent. And I'm so glad he did 'cause I didn't know you were heaven sent."_

The music stopped and Haley sang the last lines acapella.

"_Tricky angel got me falling and I'm so glad he did."_

The crowd erupted, screaming loudly and Haley's smile lit up the entire place as she looked out over the massive audience.

"Thank you so much. My name is Haley James. Some of you might know that I am just a small town girl from Tree Hill, not too far from here." Some people in the crowd screamed and I wondered if we would have known any of them, "I feel so blessed just to be on this stage tonight and even more so to have an amazing crowd like you out here to cheer me on. This next song we're gonna do for you is a little slower. It's something that I wrote just this past year and it means a lot to me. I hope you like it."

The very short intro to the song was simply a few notes on the keyboard and then the singing began.

"_When I wake up in the morning time, I like to see you sleeping by my side. I think about the nights we had before. Wanna give you this and more. Let you know I truly adore you. Being with you, loving you this way is so sweet. The way you kiss me, you're making my knees go weak. We could be forever happy through rain or whatever. Never gonna take the fantasy away from you."_

Score number two for songs about Nathan, even if the lyrics no longer applied as she had indeed taken the fantasy away.

"_I need to be everything you see in your dreams. It seems to me you'll never find another lover cause I could give you all that you need. And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day."_

"_There was a time that I didn't have you around. Back in them days my heart never made a sound. Now it's beating like my head's in the clouds. Never doubt that I'ma always be down to hang around you. You're making me feel so good inside. The way I feel when you love me makes me wanna cry. All these truffle of the things you do, make my love dream come true, moving me to tell you that I love you."_

"_I need to be everything you see in your dreams. It seems to me you'll never find another lover cause I could give you all that you need. And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day."_

The music played for a little bit, moving through different bits of sounds.

"_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day."_

The one line repeated about four times, getting louder and more laced with emotion every time Haley sang it. And just like it had started, it ended quickly and the crowd again erupted into loud cheers.

"She's amazing." Savannah said to me quietly as we watched Haley make another short speech to the crowd, "I've seen her in concert before but it was nothing like this. This is… passionate."

I couldn't have agreed more.

"I recognize a few of you, our very loyal fans who have been with us from show to show so you all know these guys up here with me. Please give a round of applause for my amazing band. Ben Girard on lead guitar! Jake Jagielski backing him up on acoustic guitar! Frank Crane on drums and Matt Isler on bass! I wouldn't be able to do this without these guys!"

All of the band members took a bow and she grinned back at them, standing and picking up her guitar as one of the tour crew ran out to move the keyboard.

"I'm taking on a guitar for this one too and it's fairly new. These guys over here, Ben and Jake, they've helped me to write an amazing amount of songs, all of which mean so much to me. This one we wrote one night and it seemed to just flow out of us so we hope you like it."

"_These four walls, they whisper to me. They know a secret I knew they would not keep. Didn't take long for the room to fill with the dust, and these four walls came down around us."_

"_It must have been something that sent me out of my head with the words so radical and not what I meant. Now I wait for a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left. Just me and these four walls again."_

"_It's hard now to let you be. I won't make excuses. I've made my peace. Didn't take long for me to lose the trust 'cause these four walls were not strong enough."_

"_It must have been something that sent me out of my head with the words so radical and not what I meant. Now I wait for a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left. Just me and these four walls again."_

As the song picked up emotion, I mentally made scratch number three on the "songs about Nathan" tally.

"_Yeah, it's difficult, watching us fade. Knowing it's all my fault. My mistake. Yeah, and it's difficult letting you down. Knowing it's all my fault you're not around."_

"_It must have been something that sent me out of my head with the words so radical and not what I meant. Now I wait for a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left. Just me and these four walls again."_

The crowd loved anything that Haley sang, and even though they couldn't possibly know how close that song was to her, I applauded her for not losing it and crying, even though I could see the tears form. Savannah sighed loudly next to me, leaning into Bryan's arms as they watched. I wanted to say something that would let Savannah know I could feel the emotion from these songs too, but it was hard to know what to say. I had never seen Haley pouring this much emotion into anything.

"Alright, this next song I have sang over and over again. I still love it as much as I did the first time I sang it. Sadly, my original duet partner couldn't make it this time so the lovely Mr. Jake Jagielski is going to fill in. If you know it, sing along."

I knew what it would be before either of them began to sing. It had to be the song she had sang with Chris Keller. It had to be When the Stars Go Blue.

"Dancing where the stars go blue. Dancing where the evening fell. Dancing in my wooden shoes. In a wedding gown."

Haley sang the first part of the song and smiled over at Jake who looked extremely pleased to be singing with her.

"Dancing out on seventh street. Dancing through the underground. Dancing little marionette. Are you happy now?"

"Where do you go when you're lonely." Jake sang.

"Where do you go when you're blue." Haley responded.

"Where do you go when you're lonely, I'll follow you. When the stars go blue." They sang together and the crowd began to scream.

"When the stars go blue." Jake grinned.

"Laughing with your pretty mouth." Jake sang the line and Haley echoed his words. "Laughing with your broken eyes. Laughing with your lover's tongue."

"In a lullaby, yeah. Where do you go when you're lonely. Where do you go when you're blue. Where do you go when you're lonely, I'll follow you."

Everytime they sang together the crowd went crazy and I had a sinking suspicion that Jake was starting to be popular with this group too.

"Where do you go when you're lonely. Where do you go when you're blue. Where do you go when you're lonely. I'll follow you, follow you, follow you. When the stars go blue. When the stars go blue. When the stars go blue. When the stars go blue. Where do you go when you're lonely. Where do you go when the stars go blue."

The song ended with both of them giving long strums of their guitar and the noise from the crowd was deafening. When I looked at Savannah and Bryan, even they seemed surprised from the response. Savannah was laughing loudly but standing even a foot from her, I couldn't hear her.

"Thank you guys so much. We are having an amazing time out here with you and we're so sad that tonight is the last night of this tour."

The crowd groaned and Haley smiled.

"I know, it's sad isn't it? Just a few weeks ago I started on this tour with the Wreckers and now it's evolved into so much more. I'm sad to see it end but it won't be the last you hear from me I promise."

The crowd cheered for Haley who looked over to us, grinning and then looked back at the crowd.

"Normally, this next song is not in my concert repertoire but there is a very special guest here tonight that I must embarrass." I was petrified for a second, praying that it wasn't going to be me that she was going to embarrass, "Savannah, will you join me out here?"

Savannah, who was still laughing, let her jaw fall and she quieted. She stood still, not moving and Haley was looking over at us laughing.

"Come on. Get out here." Haley beckoned.

Jake ran over to us and took Savannah's hand, pulling her onto the stage. As soon as she knew she could be seen, Savannah smiled at the crowd but she was clearly unsure of what came next.

"Tonight is Savannah's 18th birthday and I couldn't let it go by without singing happy birthday to her. I hope you all will join me, on the count of three…" Haley held up her hand in the number one and used her hand to count, "One, two, three!"

The entire place erupted into a round of singing Happy Birthday, with Haley and Jake at center stage with Savannah blushing wildly. When the song ended Savannah took a deep breath and leaned over to the microphone saying a quick "thank you" to everyone.

Haley and Jake both hugged Savannah then let her leave stage where she promptly took her place back in Bryan's arms, laughing loudly.

"Savannah is here tonight with my very best friend in the entire world, Lucas. We've known each other forever and it's so exciting for me for him to be here tonight and get the chance to see me doing what I love to do." Haley looked over at me and grinned, "We've got two more songs for you tonight. This next one's called Backyard."

Haley sat down to strum her guitar and then looked up at the crowd as she began to sing.

"_Its been too long, don't think I've seen you smile at me for quite a while. Were too busy doing things we haven't noticed what's missing. Where's the fun we used to have? My childish ways and your sarcasm. Silly jokes and fairy tales. Where did we leave them? Lost in the backyard."_

"_Your lasso my tiara. My wand, your plastic bazooka. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard? Your cowboy hat, my tutu. You hide and seek, I catch you. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard?"_

I smiled, thinking of all the crazy things Haley and I used to do when we were younger. This song seemed to bring memories back of all the time we spent together as kids.

"_Simple days of hand in hand, and drawing our names in the sand. Somehow life just complicates our buried treasure. It just went lost in the backyard."_

"_Your lasso my tiara. My wand, your plastic bazooka. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard? Your cowboy hat, my tutu. You hide and seek, I catch you. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard?"_

"_You can still meet me in the garden. You and I and hide behind the roses bed. You and I, you and I, lost in the backyard."_

As she went into the chorus again I realized again how amazing it was that we had grown up and where our lives had taken us. All those years ago, the two of us just playing in my backyard, who would have thought that I would be standing here watching her play her music in front of thousands of people who clearly adored her.

"_Your lasso my tiara. My wand, your plastic bazooka. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard? Your cowboy hat, my tutu. You hide and seek, I catch you. Why can't we be how we were in the backyard?"_

"That's so adorable." Savannah squeezed my arm, "Did you guys really do those things?"

I nodded, still reminiscing as Haley spoke again to the crowd, thanking them for coming and letting them know this would be the last song of the night.

"I'm glad we did this." Savannah said, moving from Bryan's arms to lean on me.

"Me too." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her to my side, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks."

The minute the first words of Haley's last song began, I added the final tally to my count of songs about Nathan. Four songs out of six, but this one seemed to be the most heartfelt. The one that hit the closest to home. Three lines in and Haley was already starting to cry.

"_I can honestly say, you've been on my mind, since I woke up today. I look at your photograph all the time. These memories come back to life. And I don't mind. I remember when we kissed. I still feel it on my lips. The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. I remember those simple things. I remember 'til I cry. But the one thing I wish I'd forget. The memory I wanna forget… is goodbye."_

My heart almost broke as she strummed her guitar and sang through her tears.

"_I woke up this morning and played our song. And through my tears I sang along. I picked up the phone and then put it down. 'Cause I know, I'm wasting my time. And I don't mind. I remember when we kissed. I still feel it on my lips. The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. I remember the simple things. I remember 'til I cry. But the one thing I wish I'd forget. The memory I wanna forget…"_

I looked over at Savannah who was holding her phone up and at first I didn't understand what she was doing and then it occurred to me. She either had Nathan on the phone or she was recording this song to her phone for later use.

"_Suddenly my cell phone's blowin' up, with your ringtone. I hesitate but answer it anyway. You sound so alone. And I'm surprised to hear you say…"_

Haley was lucky she had a microphone as she whispered the last chorus.

"_You remember when we kissed? You still feel it on your lips? The time that you danced with me, with no music playing. You remember the simple things. We talked 'til we cried. You said that your biggest regret. The one thing you wish I'd forget…"_

"_Is saying goodbye."_

When she and the band had said their goodbye's they ran off the stage, Haley jumping into my arms as she continued to cry. I saw Savannah press a button on her phone to put it away and then she came over to hug Haley and I too.

When the tears subsided, Haley begged us to stay for the party after the concert but we insisted we needed to go. It was already 7 and we knew at this point we were probably going to be late to the party, which meant Brooke was going to kill us.

"Don't be a stranger." I whispered to Haley giving her one last hug, "Call me anytime ok?"

"Ok." Haley sighed, "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

The car ride back to Bryan's house was incredibly quiet. I wasn't sure the reason behind Savannah and Bryan being so quiet but I knew that I was too lost in my thoughts to speak. My entire being was conflicted over leaving my best friend to continue her life without knowing when I was going to get the chance to be a part of it. I hated leaving her alone knowing she was so fragile still. I found myself again wishing that life wasn't so complicated and we could all go back to the way things used to be, when life was simple.

When we got back to the house, Savannah and I grabbed our things from the house and I waited by the Porsche while Savannah said goodbye to Bryan. She looked like she was arguing with him about something but eventually she just hugged him and joined me at the car, getting into the driver's seat and then pulling us out of the driveway and heading down the road to the airport.

"Everything ok?" I asked her, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Yeah." Savannah smiled at me, "I had a great time at the concert. How about you?"

"It was amazing. I've seen Haley play Tric but it was nothing like tonight. She lights up onstage and her songs… you can tell she pours her heart into them."

"Yeah." Savannah nodded, "I recorded the last one to my phone. When the time is right, I figure I'll play it for Nathan. Probably not anytime soon since he's still so fragile, but… at some point."

"I thought that might be what you were doing." I smiled at her, "That's a good idea."

We fell quiet again and I fell back into my thoughts for the rest of the ride to the airport.

Once in the plane, Savannah sort of disappeared and so I was left in the "living room" with the TV by myself. I played video games to distract myself and luckily the trip seemed to go very quickly, Savannah reappearing as we landed in Tree Hill.

"Sorry I disappeared. I just… Bryan issues."

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked her.

We got off the plane and into Savannah's car, pulling out of the airport and heading towards her house.

"It's actually kind of stupid." Savannah finally said as we drove, "It's just that, you know we're non exclusive right? Like, he and I are seeing each other but we're also seeing other people?"

I nodded. Brooke had told me about it and even though I thought it was stupid I hadn't said anything.

"So when we got back to his house tonight I asked him if he wanted to come back with us so that he could come to the party and…" Savannah hesitated, looking over at me as if she was pondering whether to continue, "Um… well, might as well be blunt. I asked him to come back to the party and then give me my birthday sex."

"Oh, right." I laughed loudly but subdued it a little when she raised her eyebrow at me, "Well, clearly he turned you down, which was stupid."

"He said he couldn't because he has a date in the morning and he needed to get his sleep." Savannah groaned, "I just… Sometimes he's the guy that he was when we dated before. He's sweet and caring and so affectionate. This necklace, he was the old Bryan when he gave this to me, but then after the concert… I don't know what changed. Like, what the hell you know?"

"Yeah." I sighed, "I'm sorry Savannah. I'm sure you can find someone to have birthday sex with you. It is a party after all."

"Not the point." Savannah laughed and rolled her eyes, "I just get frustrated with this whole non-exclusive thing. I don't like it and every time I decide I'm going to end it a part of me ends up chickening out because I feel like at least I'm getting some of him. If I break it off, I get none of him, you know?"

"I understand." I nodded as we pulled into her driveway.

There were only three cars there. Xander's, Brooke's and one beautiful luxury vehicle that we didn't recognize.

"Hmm, I wonder who is here. I didn't realize I knew anyone who drives an Aston Martin." Savannah turned the car off and shrugged, "Come on. We just made it on time."

We headed up to the house and Savannah swung open the door to reveal streamers and decorations in the foyer. A grin spread across her features and I assumed for the time being, Bryan was forgotten.

"Brooke!" Savannah called out, "Where are you? We're home!"

Brooke came thundering down the stairs to our right and at the last stair she jumped, knowing I would catch her.

"I'm so glad you guys are back." Brooke exclaimed, kissing me softly and then wiggling out of my arms to go give Savannah a hug, "Happy Birthday friend."

"Thank you." Savannah was grinning widely, "I love the décor, very festive. Who's here. There's three cars out front."

"Actually, it's just me and Nate right now. Nate's upstairs getting dressed. Cammie and Tim went with Tim's brother to get more booze. Xander and Peyton took Peyton's car back to their house to finish getting ready. I haven't heard from Bevin but I do know she's planning on bringing Skillz as her date tonight and no one else has arrived yet either."

"So what's the other car in the driveway?" Savannah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that." Brooke ran to the kitchen and came back with an envelope which she handed to Savannah, "Your dad said to give you this."

Savannah furrowed her brows as she opened the card and a car key fell out of it. Her eyes lit up but she refrained from screaming until she had read the card.

"There's no better time than on your birthday to dream the big dreams." She read the printed inscription which matched the picture on the front of the card of large candles with clouds above them, "Pumpkin, I'm sorry I couldn't stay for your party. I've left you the keys to your brand new car. I know how you wanted the Range Rover like Xander, but I see you better in sports cars and of course, only the best for my baby girl. It's an Aston Martin Vanquish S. It's V12, but try not to drive too fast. I love you so much! Happy Birthday! Love, Dad."

"Oh my god." Brooke spoke first, "I knew it was a car but I didn't know it was all that!"

"Wanna go for a ride?" Savannah asked us dangling the keys in front of my eyes.

"You two go." Brooke said, "I have a few more things to do before the party."

"I love you." I kissed Brooke quickly and then followed Savannah out to the shiny black Aston Martin while she quickly deactivated the alarm and slid into the driver's seat while I slid into the passengers seat.

Savannah groaned loudly as she melted into the leather seat happily.

"Who needs birthday sex? I just came for the car." She joked and I laughed loudly.

"This is a beautiful car. I'm in shock right now just for sitting in it."

We both ran our hands over all the surfaces of the car as if by touch we were getting to know it before she even turned the key. When the engine started she groaned all over again and it really did sound like she was turned on by it.

"Calm down over there." I teased her and she sighed.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

We shut the car doors and she pulled out of the driveway carefully, backing out onto the street and pulling off down the road.

"I barely put any pressure on the gas pedal and it starts to fly." Savannah said, "Oh my God I cannot believe I own this car."

"Me either. Remind me to ride around with you more often."

She laughed loudly and accelerated on the straight away of her street. The engine roared and she and I both groaned at the same time, laughing together at the irony of a car giving the feelings this car did.

"Only a two seater. I guess only one person can ride with me now." Savannah laughed as she pulled out onto a busier street, "I'll give Camille my old car to drive around and I'll let Nate ride with me."

"Lucky bastard."

Stopped at a stoplight, everyone in the cars around us were staring over at us in the car, gawking. Savannah rolled down our windows and smiled at the onlookers.

"It's my birthday." She yelled to the nearest car, "I guess daddy really does love me."

The light turned green and she floored it, hitting 60 in less than 5 seconds and screaming when she did. We continued down the street and then pulled into a parking lot for a convenience store.

"What are we doing?" I asked her as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.

"You're driving. Come on."

We switched seats and she grinned over at me.

"You're gonna love this." She said.

"Oh, believe me. I know."

The experience of driving the car was definitely an adrenaline rush, whether we were going 35 miles an hour or 70. We couldn't really go that fast on the city streets and we had to get back to the house, but in the few minutes while I drove the car, I was in love. The sensations I got while driving it, feeling it roar with power under my control, was really and truly almost orgasmic.

"I love my car!" Savannah screamed as she ran back into the house when we returned.

Nathan was standing at the bottom of the stairs and Savannah jumped into his arms.

"Best friend, have you seen my car? It's beautiful."

"I saw it when your dad dropped it off earlier." Nathan laughed as he continued to hold her, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, "Did you have fun in Chapel Hill today?"

"Yes, I did. We saw the college and Bryan gave me this necklace as my birthday present." Savannah leaned back a little and showed him the necklace she was wearing, "And… I met Jake Jagielski at Haley's concert."

Nathan almost dropped Savannah at the mention of Haley but recovered quickly, setting her down nicely instead of dropping her on her ass. Brooke joined us in the foyer and together we watched Savannah gauge Nathan's reaction.

"Haley's concert?" Nathan frowned, "Why would you go there?"

"Well, she's Luke's best friend and so I wanted him to see her since we were there but, it turned out really good. She…" Savannah stopped, obviously unsure of how much to tell Nathan, "It was just good Nate. Good for us to see her and good for her to see us I think."

Nathan narrowed his eyes at Savannah and we were all waiting for a reaction, but were interrupted when the front door burst open and Tim and Camille entered caring several bags of alcohol. Tim's brother entered behind them carrying a keg of beer and several other people followed carrying a couple of mini-kegs a piece.

"We got a big keg of MGD." Camille yelled from the kitchen, "And then mini-kegs of Heineken, Guinness, Corona, Bud, Bud Light, and some Sam Adams variation. Also, the regular booze for those of us who don't drink beer. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's great!" Brooke kissed me and then headed into the kitchen leaving me to watch the people who had delivered alcohol leave again and then look to Savannah and Nathan, still wondering if Nathan was going to freak out.

"Will you tell me more later?" Nathan asked Savannah calmly and Savannah nodded, "Ok. I'm glad you had fun."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead as she looked over at me and smiled slightly.

I decided to give them a few minutes to talk so I headed to the kitchen where Camille, Tim and Brooke were setting up all the alcohol. I heard Bevin enter a few minutes later as Brooke had me putting stacks of red and green plastic cups around all the kegs set up now in various areas of the downstairs. Within an hour the house was packed with people from school and their friends, all of whom were getting trashed. I had been looking for Brooke but hadn't located her yet.

Savannah, Nathan, Bevin, and Skillz were playing a game of drunken pool and I could see that Bevin and Skillz were losing to Nate and Savannah.

I found Peyton sitting in the living room, watching a group of people playing drunken Twister and laughing loudly. She was the one spinning the dial as she was also the only person in the place who absolutely could not get wasted tonight.

"Hey you." I sat next to her, my beer in my hand and smiled, "How you feeling?"

"Great. I love fucking with drunk people." Peyton grinned at me and then yelled out to the group, "Right hand purple."

All of the people playing tried to find purple and subsequently all fell over. It wasn't until they were all on the ground that they figured out there was no purple and then insisted on starting over.

"Have you seen Brooke?" I asked her.

"Oh yeah, she grabbed a drink and then I think she was going with Camille and Tim and Xander to the hot tub."

"Thanks." I left Peyton to fuck with the drunk people and headed for the backyard, weaving in and out of the crowds of people to indeed find my girlfriend in the hot tub with several other people laughing and drinking.

"Lucas!" Brooke saw me before I could say anything to any of them, "Come on. Get in!"

"I don't think there's room for me." I commented, laughing at how many people had squeezed into the hot tub, "I can sit here. Thanks though."

I listened to the group play I Never which was always fun, laughing at the things that some of them claimed to have never done. After awhile I left them to it and headed back inside, trying to find a place where I could relax and have fun too. The more I looked though, the more I realized that I wasn't in the partying mood.

I decided to head upstairs and after using the hidden key to the lock on Savannah's bedroom door, went inside and shut the door, jumping up onto the bed and turning on the TV. I had only been in there for a few minutes when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and when I pulled it out, remembered that my mom had grounded me this morning, and now she was calling me.

"Hi mom." I answered, willing her to not be upset with me.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, I specifically remember telling you this morning that you were grounded. Not only did I get a call from Whitey saying you hadn't shown up to practice or to any of your classes today, you never came home. I thought to just come over to Savannah's house but imagine my surprise when I got there and this general birthday party is so crowded with drunk teenagers I can't find my son or any other teenager I recognize anywhere!"

"You came here?" I cringed, "Mom, it's just…"

"No, there is no just. Get your ass home right now."

My mom hung up before I could object and I sighed, downing the last of my beer and turning off the TV to head downstairs again, locking the door back behind me.

I found Brooke still in the hot tub and told her I had to leave, kissing her goodbye as she pouted. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do about leaving. I knew my mom was serious and there was no getting out of this one. Now I just had to find someone sober to drive me home.

"Hey Peyt?" I sat next to her on the couch where she was still laughing at Twister, "I'm sorry. I know this is weird but I need to go home and there's no one else here that's sober so I thought maybe…"

"I'll drive you." Peyton smiled over at me, "Of course, Luke. Come on."

She said goodbye to the Twister folks, handing the board over to someone else and then yelling out the back door to Xander where she was going before we left.

"So what did you and Savannah do today?" Peyton asked as we drove, "You went to Chapel Hill Brooke told us."

"Yeah, we went to see Bryan and it ended up that Haley was playing a concert there so we ended up going there to see her." I debated whether to tell her that we had seen Jake and figured since she was married now it wouldn't be a big deal, "Jake's on tour with her."

"What?" Peyton's head snapped in my direction, her eyes growing large, "Jake Jagielski?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "He got Jenny back and he spent the last week touring with Haley. Him and Jenny are still living in Savannah but Haley's trying to get him to move to LA with her to help record her new album."

"That is… amazing." Peyton sighed, "Wow, I can't believe it."

"I'm sorry Peyton. Are you ok? I figured since you and Xander…"

"No, I'm fine." Peyton laughed, "I just, can't believe that he's touring with Haley. It's a little weird isn't it? I mean, how did he even get that job? Has Haley known how to get in touch with him this whole time?"

"Oh, no, actually, Nikki's brother is Haley's guitarist and he hates Nikki and is actually the one who helped Jake get Jenny back so when he found out Haley knew Jake he asked Jake to join them." I explained.

"Oh." Peyton nodded, "Well that's cool. Good for him. Is he going to go to LA with Haley?"

"Don't know." I shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know which songs he's written with her but some of the ones they performed tonight were amazing. Since Chris Keller isn't there anymore, Jake took his part for When the Stars Go Blue and sang the duet with Haley. It was beautiful."

"That's awesome." Peyton sighed, "Thanks for telling me Luke. I mean, you of all people know the history with me and Jake. I just, I appreciate you letting me know he's ok. My heart's moved on but my head still thinks about him sometimes."

"I figured." I admitted as we pulled up in front of my house, "Well, thanks for driving me. I'm gonna go inside and be killed now."

"Your mom is mad huh?"

"Very. She grounded me this morning and then I left for the day and didn't come home and went to the party she told me I couldn't go to that she went to find me at and found a lot of drunk kids at." I explained, "She's going to kill me."

"Well, good luck twice because my dad's here too." Peyton pointed to her dad's car parked on the other side of the house, "You want me to come in with you?"

I took a deep breath and shook my head no.

"I suppose you're dad's gonna pull the step-dad routine on me huh?"

Peyton shrugged.

"Maybe. He's never really been a discipline kind of guy so his presence might help you out a bit."

"Well, let's hope so. See you later Peyt."

"Bye Luke."

Peyton pulled away from the house and I headed up to the door, hoping I didn't smell like I had been drinking, as I had really only had the one beer.

"Mom?" I called out when I closed the door behind me.

"Kitchen!" She called back, still mad as far as I could tell.

I entered and she and Larry were sitting at the table, drinking coffee and my mom raised her eyebrow at me.

"Sit." She commanded so I obeyed, not wanting to get in any more trouble then I already was, "Do you have an explanation or should I just start yelling?"

"Ok, so this morning after you and I talked, I went to see Keith and…"

I relayed the whole story to my mom and Larry who actually just sat and listened as I told them about going to school and running into Savannah who took me to Chapel Hill and we had toured the school and seen Haley. I even admitted to drinking the one beer at the party and then I waited for her to start yelling.

"Where's the application for the school?" She asked first, and I was pleasantly surprised.

"In my backpack." I pulled it out from my bag and set the whole packet on the table, "I need to get it in soon though but I'm almost guaranteed admission at this point. Bryan said he'd get me in no matter what and the basketball coach all but told me he was coming to scout me anyway so…"

My mom looked over the package and sighed.

"Lucas, I was so worried when Whitey called to tell me you weren't at practice and that you hadn't gone to school and then I tried to call you a million times and couldn't get an answer."

"I switched it on and off a lot during the day, depending on where we were. I didn't want it to ring while we were meeting with the coach or at Haley's concert or anything. I'm really sorry I made you worry mom. I guess I was just having so much fun that I didn't think to check in with you."

"The grounding sticks." She said simply, "I haven't decided how long yet but it will be school, practice and home you understand?"

I nodded.

"Go to bed." She commanded and again I obeyed, knowing that resistance was futile, "I love you mom."

I gave her a hug and kiss, saying a quick goodnight to Larry before I headed to my room. I was actually very surprised that Larry hadn't tried to add his opinion into the conversation and because of that, my opinion of him went up. It didn't bother me as much as it had at the beginning of the day that Larry would be marrying my mom.

A few minutes later, when I turned the light out as I laid in bed, my phone rang and I grinned, seeing Haley's name displayed on the caller ID.

"Hey rockstar."

"Hey." Haley said quietly, "Luke, I think I made a big mistake tonight."

"What? What happened?" I sat up, immediately worried about my best friend, wondering what she could have done wrong just in the last few hours since I had seen her.

"I… I slept with Jake."


	32. Chapter 30: Resistance is Futile

_**Author's Note: First, a HUGE thank you goes to jensen-luva-91, princetongirl, kapeesh, and LaffertyLvr09 whose reviews are the ONLY reason I was able to write this chapter. It's kind of short and maybe just a bit of filler, but it is a chapter and I hope it's good enough to keep you all reading and reviewing so that I can continue to write, because seriously, I don't know where the inspiration to keep writing is going to come from. **_

_**I really appreciate all you readers and those of you who review I love you so much! Enjoy! :)  
**_

**Chapter Thirty**

**Resistance is Futile**

**Brooke POV**

The sun was evil. It was an evil, devil worshiping, bitch. And I wanted it to go away.

"Wake up." Savannah jumped on me and wiggled around as she laughed, "Wake up. Wake up."

"I'm awake you whore. What do you want?" I pulled the pillow down over the back of my head trying to lock in my darkness.

"We have to be at school in like 20 minutes." She sighed, rolling off of me and onto the other side of the gigantic bed I had claimed for myself the night before.

The birthday party we had thrown Savannah was a huge success. No cops were called. Everyone had a good time. As far as I knew, no one had driven home drunk and we had all had a good time. Of course, I wished I hadn't fallen asleep alone, but I vaguely remembered Lucas telling me that he had to go home because his mom was pissed, so I figured he had a valid reason for ditching me.

"You ditched yesterday. Ditch today." I groaned at Savannah, refusing to pull my head from under the pillow, "I'm hungover."

"I can't ditch again today. I have to show off my new car. Come on, get up."

"Savannah, I hate you for being so damn cheery in the morning. I'm the cheerleader, I'm supposed to be the cheery one."

"Exactly, so get your cheer butt up and become cheery." I felt her move off the bed and before I could do anything about it she had ripped the blankets from the bed and the pillow from my grasp.

"No!" I screamed, cringing at the sunlight hitting me as if I was a vampire and would burst into flames at any minute, "Savannah!"

"Resistance is futile Brooke. Get your ass up!"

I managed to drag myself from the bed and into the nearby bathroom, slightly opening my eyes to look in the mirror and then wishing I hadn't. Brooke Davis, hung-over and tired was not a good sight.

When I had brushed my teeth with the conveniently provided new toothbrush on the counter and run a brush through my matted hair, I went off in search of Savannah, to ask if I could wear her clothes since I had nothing of mine at her house.

"Closet is that way." Savannah directed me as I walked into her bedroom.

I didn't even have to ask.

"How do you not have a hangover right now?" I called out to her as I began my search through her closet, "You were just as drunk as I was last night."

"Secret family hangover remedy." Savannah called back to me, "Plus I had sex so I think I sweated most of it out."

"You had sex?" I jumped out of the closet and eyed her where she was sitting on her bed, putting her shoes on her feet, "With who?"

"That is also a secret." She replied with a sly grin on her face, "Find something to wear and come downstairs. Cammie's making breakfast."

Before I could question her further she had disappeared from the room and I sighed, going back to my search for the perfect outfit from her closet. I finally settled on a pair of her designer jeans which were too long and had to be rolled up and a cute burgundy sweater. They matched the shoes I had worn the night before so it worked out nicely.

"Savannah…"

I heard Nathan's voice in the bedroom and as I finished buttoning my pants, I stepped out and smiled at him.

"She went downstairs for breakfast."

"Oh." Nathan smiled at me, "How's your hangover?"

"Horrible. Yours?"

"Don't have one." Nathan shrugged, "You coming to breakfast?"

"Yeah, hold on." I went over to sit on the bed and put my shoes on quickly, "Hey Nate, Savannah said she had sex last night? Do you know with who? I didn't think she was interested in any of the guys from our school and I know Bryan never showed up…"

"I think it was just some random guy from school." Nathan replied, grinning at me, which I took to mean he knew more than he told me, "Come on. Cammie makes really good breakfast."

I sighed and followed him down the stairs and into the kitchen where breakfast was laid out on the kitchen island and the other four inhabitants were busy with serving themselves.

Nathan went straight to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of orange juice, pouring two glasses and handing one to Savannah who thanked him for it and then put it away again.

"Tim, do your parents know you stay over here so much?" Savannah asked as she leaned against one of the counters in the kitchen sipping her orange juice.

Tim, who was setting out a plate of bacon, shook his head no.

"My parents usually don't realize I'm alive, so it doesn't matter if I'm over here so much." He laughed, "Besides, even if they did, I would sneak out for breakfast cause nothing is better than this."

Camille smiled and leaned over to kiss him. It was cute but weird still for me to see the two of them together. Camille this gorgeous blonde model type and Tim the idiot savant I had known since grade school.

"You guys are all so domesticated." I commented, moving to the refrigerator to pour my own glass of orange juice, "Is this how it usually is in the mornings?"

I didn't spend the night here often, so I wondered if this was normal ritual for them or if they just did this on special mornings, like the night after Savannah's birthday party where we all got trashed.

"Almost every morning." Camille replied, "Breakfast is my forte and on the weekends Nate makes us lunch. Savannah does dinner, either by cooking or ordering, usually ordering because we've all tasted her cooking and spaghetti can only be eaten so often."

Savannah rolled her eyes but grinned and the rest of us laughed.

"You guys are so cute. Like a little family."

"We are family." Savannah replied, "We have to be for each other. It's not like we have anyone else."

"You have me and Luke and Bevin and Xander and Peyton."

"Yes, well the we are family comment included all of you." Savannah stuck her tongue out at me, "You know that anyone is welcome to stay here at any time. That's why we let you stay here last night silly. We're all family. We look out for each other."

We all kind of fell into a corny silence and then I turned to Savannah and raised my eyebrow.

"So is this family going to include your new boy toy now too? Why are you not telling us who you slept with last night?"

Nathan almost spit his orange juice out and had to turn around so he wasn't looking at us as Savannah started to laugh too. Camille and Tim looked at me and then looked at them and shrugged.

"Do you guys know?" I asked Camille and Tim who both shook their heads no.

Camille continued to look over at Savannah and Nathan who were still laughing loudly and I had a feeling she too knew more than she was telling me.

"Fine, whatever. Aren't we late for school?"

Everyone immediately turned to grabbing their breakfast and eating quickly then running around to get their last minute things together. Savannah handed the keys to her old car to Camille and then grabbed the keys to the new car and yelled at Nathan who was upstairs grabbing his backpack to hurry up. I quickly ate some eggs and bacon then grabbed my keys and headed to my car where my backpack was still resting in the passengers seat.

"See you at school." Savannah yelled to me as she slid into her new car with a huge grin. Nathan waved and slid into the passengers seat, the two of them pulling out of the driveway together quickly.

Camille and Tim were the last ones out of the house, slipping into the other car quickly and as soon as they pulled out of the driveway, I did too, as their car had been blocking mine in.

We all arrived to school about the same time and headed for our lockers as a group, laughing, but I was still pondering the Savannah hook up mystery. I hated not knowing what was going on.

"Hey there beautiful." Lucas slid his arms around my waist as I stood at my locker pulling my first period book out.

"Hey." I grinned, turning around in his arms and standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss, "Missed you last night. Did you get in a lot of trouble with your mom?"

"Not too bad. I'm grounded until further notice but she wasn't pissed, just worried about me I guess. Her anger subsided when I gave her my application to Chapel Hill."

He was smiling widely at me but I frowned.

"So you decided on Chapel Hill?"

"Not decided officially but I got the application and talked to the coach and it's almost a sure thing. Don't look so sad. It's not like we're breaking up just because I decide to go to Chapel Hill."

"But I don't know where I'm going yet. And even if I had decided, Chapel Hill isn't even on the list. They don't have fashion design."

"I know that, but Brooke, even if we're apart we can work through it, right?" Lucas now looked concerned, "Brooke?"

"Yeah, of course we can." I assured him although I wasn't so sure myself, "We'll be fine."

"Good." Lucas kissed me softly and sighed, "Being grounded is going to suck. I'm not going to have any chance to be with you."

I pouted playfully.

"We can find time." I told him, "You're allowed to go to practice right?"

He nodded and I pulled on his shirt, pressing him against me and me against the lockers.

"We will find time."

"No sex in the hallways." Peyton yelled at us, laughing as she passed us on the way to her locker.

I was about to reply when the first period bell rang and we all moved into hurrying mode to get to class before we were late.

Peyton, Camille, Savannah and I slid into our regular seats in English Lit and immediately Peyton slid me a note.

"Hey, what happened after I left the party last night?"

I pulled out a pen and wrote back to her.

"I don't know. I don't remember much. Apparently at some point Savannah hooked up with someone though and no one will tell me who. I think Camille and Nathan know but they won't tell me."

Peyton read the note then looked at me and raised her eyebrows. She turned to Savannah who was pulling out her textbook and glanced over at us with a smile.

"Interesting… maybe Bryan showed up?"

"No, he didn't, that much I know. Nathan said he thinks it's someone we go to school with but I'm not so sure… they're all acting weird about it." I wrote.

"Interesting. It's weird that no one wants to say who it was. We all tell each other everything." Peyton wrote back.

"Yeah, I know. I wish I had woken up earlier this morning, maybe I would have seen him cause he would have had to spend the night last night right?"

"Ms. Davis. Ms. Sawyer. Is my class interrupting your note?" the teacher suddenly called out to Peyton and I. Peyton immediately tore the note into a million pieces and started laughing.

"Actually, sir, officially, my last name is Carter now. I got married." Peyton wiggled her ring finger and the teacher rolled his eyes.

"In my day, kids didn't get married in high school." He muttered, going to his grade book and looking like he was making some changes, "Ok, Ms. Carter…"

"She's Mrs. Carter and then I would be Ms. Carter technically." Savannah spoke up with a giggle as the teacher looked like he wanted to kill her, "I'm just saying because there could be some confusion."

"Fine, Savannah, Peyton, Brooke and I'm sure you had something to do with it Camille, we'll use first names. Can you pay attention in my class now please?"

Everyone in the class was snickering but we nodded and pulled out our books to pay attention to the class.

A few classes later we had lunch period and my headache from my hangover was finally subsiding. We all slid into our normal seats at our table in the courtyard and Xander strode in a few minutes later with edible lunches, unlike cafeteria food, for all of us.

"You're my hero." Peyton kissed him hello as he took a seat with us at the table.

The table was starting to be too small for our group as we had now added Skillz who was sitting with Bevin laughing happily. Realistically, if Savannah did have a new boy toy who was going to join us, we would need to get a bigger table.

"You want my pickle." Nathan offered part of his lunch to Savannah who giggled but took it from him.

It was great to see Nathan smiling. I wasn't sure what could have made such a drastic difference in a short period of time but it was great seeing him at least happy for the most part. Really, everyone at the table seemed happy. They all made jokes with each other. Bevin and Skillz were kissing. Xander was whispering in Peyton's ear with one hand on her growing stomach. Camille and Tim were making funny faces at each other.

But then there was Lucas, who seemed completely lost in thought.

"You ok?" I elbowed him softly and he snapped to attention, looking over at me.

"Oh, yeah." He smiled and leaned down to kiss me lightly, "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"I'll tell you later." He glanced towards Nathan but no one noticed except for me.

"Ok." I agreed.

We finished lunch over chit chat, jokes, and discussion of the upcoming school holiday and what we would all be doing.

"Parentals want me to go see them in California." I sighed, "I have no idea why, but I'm obligated, at least for Christmas Day."

"Thankfully I think it's just gonna be us, right Xander?" Savannah looked over at Xander who nodded.

"Mom said she's not leaving Spain." Xander assured her, "Mariah said she might fly in Christmas Eve and I think Dad said he would make it Christmas Eve but couldn't be here Christmas Day, so he's gonna leave early morning or something."

"I actually agreed to family dinner with my parents." Nathan said and the rest of us fell into a silent shock, "Don't be so shocked. They are my parents."

"I'm sorry. Remind me again why you emancipated yourself?" Peyton laughed, "To get away from them?"

"Yeah, well… it's not a big deal. Just one dinner right?"

"Your grandparents coming too?" Lucas asked hesitantly.

"Our grandparents…" Nathan narrowed his eyes at Lucas and nodded, "Yeah. Big family dinner. Keith too from what my mom says."

"I suppose I'm doing dinner with my mom and Larry…" Lucas said slowly.

"No." Peyton countered, "You, your mom, and my dad are coming to Savannah's for dinner with us."

"Sad that you know more about what I'm doing than I do."

"Yes it is." Peyton grinned, "Bevin? Any plans?"

"Family stuff." Bevin shrugged and looked to Skillz who shrugged too.

"My moms is cooking I guess." He said.

"Cammie, what about you?"

"My parents are flying to Bryan's so I am going there." Camille sighed, "Maybe I could convince them all to come here instead since your dad's gonna be here for a bit Savannah. Plus that means Bryan would be here."

Everyone expected Savannah to brighten at the idea but she rolled her eyes.

"I'm mad at your brother." Savannah responded to Camille, "But if you would rather your parents come here, that's totally fine with me."

"Why are you mad at him?" Camille questioned, "Didn't you just see him yesterday?"

"Yes, but that's not the point." Savannah groaned, "Sorry, I don't wanna talk about it. It's fine if he comes too though. I don't care."

The conversation sort of lulled into silence for a second.

"Wait, since your dad is only coming in for Christmas Eve, why don't we do Christmas Eve dinner at our house," Nathan suggested to Savannah, "And then you can come with me to my parents house on Christmas Day."

Savannah's mood visibly brightened as she began to laugh.

"Me and Dan Scott sitting around the same table for Christmas? Seriously?" Savannah shook her head, "Sorry buddy, but no."

"Please?" Nathan pouted and even I had to admit he looked cute, like a puppy dog.

"Don't do that face. You know I can't resist when you give me that look. Stop." Savannah turned so she wasn't looking at Nathan, "So anyway…"

"We should all go." Camille suddenly volunteered, "I mean, it's a big family dinner right and we're all family? Let's organize all the families getting together for one huge meal on Christmas Day."

"Are you crazy? We'd all kill each other." Lucas argued, "Seriously, it wouldn't work."

"Why not? It'd be fun." Camille looked around at the rest of us and I was the first to talk.

"I have no say. I'll be in California."

"I can't." Bevin pouted.

"Me either." Skillz said, "As much as I'd love to see someone die on Christmas."

"I'm all for it." Nathan agreed, "I would love as much backup for Christmas as humanly possible since I'm sure my dad is going to have a lot to say regarding my life."

"It might work I guess," Savannah caved, "It would be entertaining to say the least."

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang before we could discuss it any further. We all split up, promising to talk about it later and finalize plans. If I was honest with myself, I wished there was a way for me to get out of having to go to California so that I could see the fireworks which would undoubtedly happen if all the families got together. There was too much drama surrounding everyone's lives for sparks not to fly.

"I'm scared." Lucas admitted as he walked me to my next class.

"About dinner? Why? It's just one dinner and you could leave whenever you wanted to right? I wish I could be there." I told him, laughing slightly, but stopping when I saw he was shaking his head no, "Luke, what's wrong?"

"It's just everything Brooke. Yesterday, being out of town and touring Chapel Hill and seeing Haley, it was great because all of my problems didn't matter you know? But now, this… everything."

"What do you mean everything Luke? What's going on with you? Talk to me." I was scared now too, afraid he was having second thoughts about our relationship.

"I don't know Brooke, it's my mom and Keith and Larry, that whole twisted thing. I'm still not sure if Keith is going to leave town because my mom is marrying Larry and I do like Larry, but I'm not sure he's right for my mom and then this dinner, that scares me. My mom, Keith, Larry, and Dan in the same room? That's scary not to mention… I'm worried about Haley. She's… she's making really bad choices and I've never known Haley to be irrational and impulsive, but that's what she's become now and I don't know how to handle that version of Haley."

"Luke…" I placed my hand against his cheek and saw him close his eyes, resting his head against my hand, "Everything is going to be fine. What are the odds that all the parents will agree to the big dinner? It's not going to happen so you have nothing to worry about. Your mom picking Larry and Keith maybe leaving, that does suck, but it's not like you can make their choices for them just like you can't make Haley's choices for her. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders but none of these things are your problems."

"They are though…"

"No." I interrupted him, "They are not. Trust me Lucas, you can't solve everyone else's problems. Your mom has made her decision and whether you agree with it or not, unfortunately, it's already been made. She loves Larry and that's not going to change. And Haley, she's kind of disappointed all of us. Maybe her leaving the way she did isn't what any of us expected, but it happened, and none of us can change that either."

"It's not just the way she left." Lucas looked straight at me and I knew there was something he wasn't telling me here.

The bell rang, signaling that we were now late for class but I didn't care. I needed to know what Lucas knew so I could try to help.

"What do you mean Lucas?"

"She slept with Jake last night." He whispered and I could see the pain in his eyes. It hurt him that she did it. It hurt him as if it had been done to him.

"Haley and Jake?" I repeated, a little dumbfounded at the revelation, "Seriously?"

Lucas nodded.

"Come here." I pulled Lucas into my arms and wrapped my small body around him, "It's gonna be ok baby."

"What if it's not Brooke? What if Nathan finds out and it hurts him more? He's getting better and I don't want to see him go backwards you know? And Haley, she's doing all of these crazy irrational things but I can't figure out why. Going back on tour, leaving Nathan, abandoning her friends, telling Savannah to date Nathan if she wants to, sleeping with Jake, moving to Los Angeles…"

"Slow down." I placed my hands on Lucas's chest and made him look at me, "Telling Savannah to date Nathan? Moving to Los Angeles?"

"Yesterday, while we were there, she told Savannah that she could date Nathan if she wanted to because she was the only person Haley trusts to make Nate happy." Lucas sighed, "He seemed pretty happy today. I wonder if Savannah took Haley's advice."

That sparked an idea in my mind. Neither of them had hangovers. Both of them were smiling and giggling together today. No, I couldn't focus on that right now. Lucas needed to talk to me.

"Ok, and Haley's moving to LA?"

"Yeah, she should already be there actually. The record label she just signed with is putting her up there while she records her album."

"That's good for her though Luke." I sighed, "Really, you have to let Haley do her own thing. Talk to her, give her support if she calls you, but don't think that you need to save her, because she made her decision and now she needs to live with it."

Lucas nodded and looked around, realizing we were the only people in the courtyard.

"Sorry, I made you late for class." He apologized.

"No big deal." I shrugged and grinned, an idea forming in my head, "Actually, remember this morning when I told you we would find time to be together?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at me as I grabbed his hand and led him towards the parking lot.

"Now is the time to be together."

"Brooke, wait, we're supposed to be in class. Where are you taking me?"

"Lucas Scott, to quote a very good friend of ours who told me this when I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, resistance is futile. Follow me and I promise a good time."

Lucas smiled slightly and nodded.

"Ok Brooke Davis. I trust you."

"Good. Trust is key."


	33. Chapter 31: The Holiday Begins

_**Author's Note: Yay! New chapter! Thank you so much to HistoryNerd, kapeesh, kelly05, jamillajo, and LaffertyLvr09 for reviewing and keeping me motivated. This chapter should answer a few questions and I hope that you all like it. kelly05, you are right, I'm not particularly fond of Haley but I don't want her to get a completely bum deal. If I hated her I would have just killed her off, lol, but I want her to be a part of the story still, just separate from Nathan. Anyway, enjoy! :)**_

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**The Holiday Begins**

**Peyton POV**

Christmas was one of those holiday's that infected you, no matter what. You could try to ignore it, and pretend like it wasn't there, but you felt it's presence even if you tried not to. For some people it made them happy. For some it made them sad. Others felt anxious, depressed, ecstatic, over joyous. There were a million different emotions to explore and I bet every single one of them was explored for Christmas.

I was usually one of those people who felt angst and depression over the holidays. Most of the time this was because my dad couldn't be home and it reminded me that no matter how many friends I had I was still alone, but this year was different. This year, I was no longer alone.

"One perfectly sculpted 6 foot Christmas tree coming through." Xander yelled as he entered the house, "Watch out baby. I don't want to hit you."

He hefted the huge tree into the house by himself, placing it perfectly in the living room in front of our picture window. The branches settled into place and as I stood in the doorway, admiring it from afar, I had to admit. It was the closest thing to perfect I had ever seen.

"That is beautiful." I grinned at him as he stood next to it proudly, "Thank you."

"No problem."

In just a few short strides Xander had me in his arms, kissing me passionately and I let myself melt against him, like I usually did, returning his kiss happily.

"The house is really coming together huh?" I looked around me, admiring my own handiwork.

Since we had moved into our very own house, Xander had given me free reign to decorate however I wanted it to be decorated, and we were only a few weeks into the process but I loved how it was coming out.

We had hired a group of painters to come in and paint the entire house. I hated that it had all been white when we moved in, so each room got a new color. Red for our bedroom. Blue for the living room. Yellow for the kitchen. Green for the baby's nursery.

"You are doing an amazing job. I'm sorry I haven't been around more to help." Xander placed one of his hands on my stomach and smiled, "You doing ok?"

"I'm fine. Bloated and tired, but I'm fine. We have a couple weeks off school for the holiday so I'm good. I can use that time to catch up on sleep and finish up the house."

"Well, I promise to be here more often as the pregnancy progresses ok? I'm doing everything I can."

"I know." I kissed Xander softly, "I have to go shopping."

"What for now?" Xander frowned, "Don't you want to just relax with me?"

"I need tree decorations and I haven't done any Christmas present shopping. Christmas is Tuesday. I only have three and a half days." I headed for the kitchen where my purse was sitting on the counter where I had dropped it after coming home from school, "You want to come with me? I could use your help."

Xander raised an eyebrow at me and I grinned. He and I both knew that if I asked if he wanted to come without adding the "I could use your help" line he would have stayed home, but knowing I needed him, he couldn't resist.

"Yeah. Let me go change into clothes that aren't covered in tree sap."

I checked my cell phone for any text messages or missed calls while Xander was upstairs changing and smiled when I saw a text from Brooke.

"I'm panicking. I haven't done any xmas shopping. U?"

I quickly texted her back.

"Leaving in a few minutes to start. U want to meet us?"

Within seconds there was a text sent back.

"Ditch Xander. Girls only. Savannah, Cammie, and Bevin too. Meet us at the mall food court."

"Hey Xander!" I yelled, without even looking up from my phone as I texted Brooke back that I would be there in 10 minutes.

"Ow, I'm right here. You don't have to yell." Xander winced from his spot standing two feet away from me.

"Oh, sorry baby." I smiled at him as I put my phone away, "Change of plans. We're gonna do a girls only shopping trip. Brooke, Savannah, Camille, Bevin and me. Call you later?"

He laughed and nodded, taking the jacket he had just put on back off.

"Love you." I kissed him quickly which he returned and then I was out of the house, and headed to his Range Rover, which he insisted I drive because it was warmer and safer to drive in the cold weather.

It was almost exactly 10 minutes later when I pulled into a "reserved for expectant mothers" parking spot at the mall. I grinned because I loved utilizing these parking spots. It was better than handicapped parking for being so close to the entrance.

"Hey." I slid into the empty seat at the table my friends were eating at near Starbucks, "What's up?"

"Hey!" The other girls greeted me as if they hadn't seen me just a few hours earlier at school, giving me hugs.

"So, none of us has gotten anything for anyone and honestly, I have no ideas except what to get Lucas. He's easy. " Brooke said, "But what about everyone else? I'm clueless."

"Well, we girls are easy. We all like the same things. Purses, jewelry, make-up…" Savannah began to list, "Stop me when I say something that doesn't resonate within you."

"We don't all like the same things." I countered, "I like music and art and…"

"And you're my brother in female form." Savannah raised her eyebrow at me, "You I know. You're not normal."

I grinned at how she said it. Whenever she told me I wasn't normal it reminded me that not being normal had gotten me the life I was currently leading. Happy, married, pregnant, and completely and totally in love.

"Alright, let's do this." Savannah began digging around in her purse and eventually pulled out a small pad of paper and a few pens, "Let's all write down five things we would like for ourselves and five things that we think our significant others would like and then we can share them with everyone so that we all have ideas for each person."

"Our significant others?" Bevin frowned at Savannah who sighed.

"You know what I meant. You guys for your boyfriends/husbands," She looked at me for this one and I smiled, "And I'll write for Nathan."

"Ok." We all agreed and we began to write.

My list was completed pretty quickly. There were less than five things I wanted for Christmas, but I threw in a couple just for kicks.

"Peyton, you start." Savannah instructed.

"Alright, for me, I want a digital camera because I plan on taking up photography at least for the duration of my pregnancy and probably after too. I want art supplies, I don't really care what they are because I'm just gonna try to work with everything for awhile and I want a Mick Wolf album on vinyl, but that's like impossible to find so I threw in maternity clothes and blank cd's."

"You're weird." Brooke sighed, "But I love you anyway. What about for Xander?"

"Xander wants a Playstation 3 or the Elite XBOX 360." I rolled my eyes but kept going, "He wants a video camera, an espresso machine, golf clubs because he intends to start golfing, and an original Laurie Adams oil painting."

"Easy enough." Savannah shrugged, "Peyt, what are you getting him? Any of those things?"

"I tracked down the painting, so it's on its way." I nodded, "Everything else should be pretty easy to find and buy right?"

"Right." Savannah looked around and they quickly divided up what each of them was going to buy Xander, "We'll decide what we're each gonna buy Peyton when she's not around. Who's next? Brooke?"

Brooke said that she wanted anything Marc Jacobs (bags, sunglasses, clothes, etc.). She also wanted Victoria's Secret, but figured a gift card would be best so she could pick out what she wanted. She wanted perfume, either Dolce & Gabbana Feminine or Fendi Fantasia. She wanted a cute and compact digital camera and Jimmy Choo boots.

She said for Lucas we could get him any next generation game system, as his was a little outdated, a nice jacket, gift cards to anywhere, anything having to do with basketball or literature. Brooke said she wanted to get him the jacket so the rest of the items were up for grabs.

"Since I'm already buying Xander's Playstation 3, is it safe to assume that all of the guys want Playstation 3's?" Savannah asked, "Cause I could just pick up five and be done with it."

"Go somewhere where the salespeople get paid commission at least. They will love you." Camille said, "But yeah, I think that would be a correct assumption."

"Shopping for boys is so easy." Savannah wrote down on her paper what she was buying everyone and then we continued to tell each other what we wanted and what the other three guys wanted so that everyone could write down what to buy each of them.

"This makes everything so much easier." Brooke smiled, looking over the list in front of her, "I'm so ready to shop."

"I have one other question." Savannah stopped us before we could all get up to start shopping, "So since we are doing this all family Christmas meal on Christmas day at my house, do you think that I should have like small gifts for everyone? I was thinking I should but… I don't know."

"It would be appropriate." Camille agreed, "Um, gift cards maybe? Or if you want the gifts to have a semi-personal touch then you could do like Bath & Body Works for the women but I don't know for the guys."

"It totally sucks that my parents won't agree to go." Bevin pouted, "I want to be there."

"Me too." Brooke sighed, "Stupid California parent party poopers."

"That was a mouthful." Camille teased and Brooke laughed loudly.

"We'll have fun for you guys." Savannah offered, "You know, the kind of fun where we spend Christmas day wondering who is going to try to kill each other first? Is Dan gonna attack Keith? Keith gonna attack Larry? Am I gonna kill Dan? There's so much fun to be had."

We all laughed at how sarcastic she was being as we all stood.

"Ok, I'm stealing Peyton. You all go shopping for her and whatever else you want to get while you're here and then call us so we can switch or something." Savannah grabbed my arm and then we all split up, three going one way and two going the other.

"So where to first?" I asked Savannah as we walked arm in arm, as if we were about to start skipping down the yellow brick road.

"Where can we buy the Playstation's that pays commission?" Savannah asked, "Gamestop? Best Buy?"

"Uh, I honestly don't think that anywhere pays salespeople commissions like that anymore. Let's just go to the first place we see and find out if they have 5 in. I know those suckers are hard to get."

"Yeah, let's do that." Savannah pulled me in the direction of Gamestop, which was the first video game store we came across.

We went straight to the register and waited for the guy working the register to turn around.

"Hi, how can I help you?" He finally asked when he turned around.

Savannah smiled, clearly flirting although I wasn't sure for what purpose. Either she thought he was cute, which I guess he was in that video game nerd type of way, or she wanted a discount, which I doubted she would get no matter how much she flirted.

"We need 5 Playstation 3's." Savannah said simply, "Preferably the higher end model, it's like a 60 gig hard drive right?"

"We have…" The guy quickly looked it up in his computer and smiled, "We have two of the 60 gig or we have 6 of the 80 gig. The 80 gig costs about 100 more but it's worth it for serious gamers because of…"

"We'll take the 80 gig ones." Savannah cut him off, "Five of them please."

He looked slightly stunned but she grinned at him again and he quickly went off in search of the consoles.

"That was easy." Savannah sighed, meandering over to the wall where the games were displayed, "Should we get games too?"

"We should." I said immediately, "Tim, Lucas, Nate and Skillz would definitely want basketball. Xander probably… Metal Gear? What are these?"

"We'll get them all basketball." Savannah grabbed five copies of the newest NBA Live game, "And we'll get them all Assasin's Creed, that actually looks cool."

She handed me the game and even I had to admit it looked interesting. The guy looked like a monk/ninja. It might be worth the money.

We continued to pile on games, getting a total of 5 titles for each one. When the guy returned with all five of the consoles, Savannah returned to the register and set down the games she wanted to buy as well.

"Are these games good?" She asked our sales guy as suddenly everyone in the store began to stare at us.

"Um, yeah." He looked over the titles we had picked up, "Buying for basketball fans?"

"Yes." We said at the same time.

"Well, pretty much if you're a fan of basketball, any of the basketball games will work so you have College Hoops and NBA Live, those are good choices, but I would suggest these as well." The sales guy pulled out two games from the glass case behind him and set them down, both of which were NBA games, "Assassin's Creed is fairly new and it's really awesome, but there are some reports of glitches in the game that will make the whole system freeze. I played it and I loved it."

"It looks cool. We'll take those NBA games too." Savannah shrugged, "What about Call of Duty 4 and this racing game? Need for Speed?"

"Good games. They're all good. With a Playstation 3 the graphics are so amazing on every single game, it's hard to complain although you will hear complaints from serious gamers about stuff like the length of the game and storytelling…"

"We're not buying for serious gamers." I assured him, "They're all just guys who like games. Four of them are teenagers and one is… well, he's 22 but he's a kid at heart."

"Then any of these games should be good." The sales guy smiled at both of us, "You don't recognize me at all do you?"

"Should we?" Savannah raised her eyebrows at him and cocked her head to the side, looking at him as if she assumed a different angle might jog her memory.

"I go to your school." He shrugged, "It's not a big deal. I just thought maybe…"

"What's you name?" Savannah asked.

"Craig."

Craig suddenly looked nervous as Savannah reached out her hand to shake his.

"I'm Savannah. This is Peyton. We do not recognize you but we know who you are now so we will make sure to keep an eye out for you at school ok?" She grinned widely, "Now do you make commission from this sale Craig?"

"No." Craig shook his head no, "We don't get commissions here."

"Can you accept tips?" I asked him, knowing where Savannah was going with the question.

"No." He shook his head no again.

"Well, then ring us up for everything if you don't mind. Is there anything else we should get? HD cables? Extra controllers?"

He quickly grabbed five extra controllers and five sets of HD cables as well as 5 remotes for if the console was to be used as a DVD player and added them to the sale.

"Ok, so I know you've already bought so much but um, I do have one more suggestion." Craig said just as he finished ringing up everything we had bought to this point, "Guitar Hero."

"What is Guitar Hero?" I laughed loudly.

Craig rushed out from behind the counter and took us to where there was a display of full size guitars with 5 colored buttons instead of strings and quickly gave us an overview of the interactive game Guitar Hero.

"It's really awesome." He assured us, "I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think you would like it. I mean, you're buying this for guys who will love the sports games and the shoot 'em up stuff, but guitar hero is fun for everyone. You two will even like it."

Savannah sighed.

"Ok, throw that in too."

The whole thing came to just about 7000 with tax. Savannah used her credit card to buy it all and then we realized that we were going to have to carry everything.

"Crap." Savannah looked at all of the bags, 10 in all, and sighed, "Peyt, can you call the other girls to help us carry this?"

"Yeah." I was laughing as I dialed Brooke who answered quickly, "Hey, so we bought the video games but we can't carry it. Can you guys come help us?"

The other three girls met us shortly and with a little manipulation, we were able to get all ten bags and head to my car, which was the only one big enough to fit it all.

"Alright." Savannah shut the back of the Range Rover satisfactorily, "Now, on with the rest of the shopping."

Several hours later we had gotten all the shopping done that we were going to get done for the day and headed back out to our cars. Savannah said we could bring it all back to her house because Nathan wasn't home and there we could start doing wrapping, at least of the presents we could show each other.

Savannah turned her IPOD on and set it to mind numbing pop/rock but for the time being, I didn't mind. We all sat on the floor of her bedroom, gifts spread out around us with wrapping papers, bows, and ribbons to use to wrap them. We wrapped the important gifts first. The ones for the family members we cared about. Lucas, Nathan, Skillz, Tim, Xander, Karen, my dad, Savannah's dad, Bevin's parents, Camille's parents and Bryan.

"I just realized that I didn't buy anything for Bryan." Savannah cursed, looking around at all the stuff she had bought for everyone else, "Dammit, I have to go back shopping."

"Oh God, can we go later?" Camille groaned, "I'm so tired right now."

"Oh yeah, duh." Savannah laughed, "We'll go tomorrow, no big deal. I can't believe I forgot to get him something though. I'm mad at him but I still need to buy him a Christmas present."

"Why are you mad at him again?" I asked, not sure that Savannah had really told me what had happened.

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

"Ok, so we went there for my birthday and everything was great. We had a good time, laughed, talked about old times. He gave Lucas the whole grand tour of Chapel Hill, introduced him to the coach, got us tickets to see Haley… it was great. But then at the end of the night, I asked him to come back to the party with us and the plane could bring him back afterwards and he refused. I was teasing him about owing me birthday sex, which wasn't a complete joke, but he still refused and you know why? Because he needed to get his beauty rest for the date he had in the morning." Savannah growled, clearly annoyed by just talking about it, "Why would you tell someone on their birthday that you can't sleep with them because you have a date with someone else?"

"Ouch." I nodded, "That does suck."

I knew how much her semi-relationship with Bryan meant to her and I knew it hurt more than she was letting on that he had turned her down. My bet was she hadn't even talked to him since then.

"Speaking of birthday sex…" Brooke smiled at Savannah, "You still don't wanna tell us who you slept with huh?"

Savannah grinned widely but shook her head no.

"It's a secret."

Camille sneezed loudly and it sounded more like "bullshit" than it did a real sneeze.

"Hey!" Savannah pushed Camille who laughed and went back to wrapping the present in front of her, "If you know, you better not say anything."

"I live here. Of course I know." Camille rolled her eyes, "Silly friend, thinking you can keep something like that from me."

"I want to know." Brooke pouted, "That's not fair. Cammie, tell me."

Camille looked like she wanted to blurt it out but Savannah was staring daggers at her.

"I love you Brooke, but I can't tell you yet." Savannah said, "I promise I'll tell you soon."

"When? I need to know!"

We all laughed at Brooke who was still pouting.

"Relax." I told my best friend, "She'll tell you when she's ready."

Brooke didn't look like she wanted to accept that answer but went back to quietly wrapping the presents, sighing in defeat.

We talked about things a bit more. Nothing of real importance. School, boys, normal girl stuff. Savannah's phone rang about an hour later and we all got quiet when she picked it up and frowned.

"Hmm… I do not recognize this number." She raised her eyebrow, "I'll answer it on speaker so that you can all be my witnesses if it's weird."

She pressed the speakerphone button and smiled.

"Hello!"

"Hi, is this Savannah?"

I recognized the masculine voice immediately but no one else in the room seemed to. My heart plummeted but then rose again, waiting for the conversation to continue.

"Yes it is." Savannah responded, "Who's this?"

"It's Jake… um, Jake Jagielski."

"Oh, hi Jake Jake Jagielski!" Savannah teased, "What's up? How'd you get my number?"

"Lucas gave it to Haley who gave it to me." Jake responded.

"Oh, how very nice of him. Well how's it going?" Savannah called out, looking up at me and grinning, knowing that this was the first time I had heard Jake's voice since we had broken up at the end of the school year last year.

"It's going good." Jake sighed, "I um, I need to ask you a question."

"A question?" Savannah raised her eyebrows, "Ok, ask away."

If he asked her out while on speakerphone I might throw up. Not that I wasn't over him completely and he could date whoever he wanted because I was married and pregnant now, not to mention completely and totally in love with Xander, but if I had to hear Jake ask Savannah out, I would actually throw up all over these Christmas presents.

"It's about Nathan and Haley." Jake said, "Nathan's not around is he?"

"No, he's not." Savannah's smile fell and she picked up the phone, taking it off speakerphone which made the other girls groan, wanting to know what he was about to say, "Oh, it's just me, Peyton, Brooke, Camille, and Bevin. We're wrapping Christmas presents."

Savannah paused and then moved the phone slightly to tell us all that Jake had said hi. We responded with a round of hi's and hello's but then she went back to the conversation seriously.

"So what's the question?" Savannah asked and then listened while he was apparently talking. As he talked her eyes grew wider and wider, and for a moment I believed they might actually pop out of her head. "Jake, you're serious right now? This isn't a joke?"

Immediately we all wanted to know the full conversation. We wanted to know what it was he was saying that made her so surprised. What he had said to make her question him.

"Oh my God Jake that's… monumental. That is huge. It's… I'm sort of speechless. I mean, no I don't think Nathan should know but at the same time if… Lucas knows so…" Savannah turned to Brooke who turned away and by her reaction, I figured that Brooke now knew what the conversation was about as well, "Brooke knows too. Alright, well, hopefully Lucas hasn't told Nathan because I don't think he could handle that right now but I could be wrong. Actually…"

Again Savannah looked around at all of us, as if debating what she could or could not say in front of us. It was weird her keeping secrets. I wasn't used to it.

"Hold on a second. I love these girls but this part of the conversation has to be between just you and me." Savannah stood and left the room leaving the rest of us in almost complete dark.

"Alright Brooke, spill it." Camille demanded when Savannah had left the room, "What are they talking about? What's so huge about Nate and Haley that we should know about?"

"You tell me who she slept with and I'll tell you what they're talking about." Brooke bartered.

"Ooh, that's rough." Camille frowned, clearly debating if she should agree to the trade in information.

"It won't leave this room." Brooke pleaded, "Whatever is said here stays between us, right?"

Bevin and I shrugged, agreeing to whatever they wanted us to agree to because it didn't really matter to us if we knew or not.

"So you tell me first, then I'll tell you. We need to be quick. What if she comes back?" Brooke negotiated, "Please Cammie?"

Camille groaned and nodded.

"Savannah slept with Nathan."

"What?" Brooke, Bevin and I all exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh my God, I knew something was up the day after the party. They were acting so cutesy and…" Brooke growled, "I knew it. Ok, so then it's an even trade. Haley slept with Jake."

"What?" Camille, Bevin and I yelled this time.

Brooke shrugged.

"Yep, the same night. Apparently after their little tour after party they did the nasty which means it was probably about the same time Nathan and Savannah were doing the nasty. Isn't that ironic?" Brooke was grinning, "This is kind of fun. I hope she comes back soon."

Savannah returned to the room a few minutes later, off the phone with a humongous grin on her face. She sat down and went back to wrapping presents silently.

"So did Jake want to ask for permission to date Haley? Or just your advice on how to handle sleeping with someone who's married?" I asked finally, after what seemed like the longest moment of silence in the world.

"Oh my God!" Savannah turned to Brooke and then to Camille who were both cringing guiltily, "You and you!"

She pointed at each of them but didn't continue her sentence, clearly speechless.

"We already agreed it won't leave this room." Brooke offered, as if that was going to appease Savannah whose mouth was still to the floor.

"Pick your jaw up. It's just us here." Camille nudged Savannah with a smile, "I needed to know what happened with Jake. Brooke knew and she wanted the dirt on you. We traded and as it turns out, it was quite an even trade. Who would have known, a married couple sleeping with people other than their spouses on the same night in two different cities."

"You guys seriously can't say anything to anyone." Savannah groaned, putting her head in her hands, "Not a word. Nathan will freak out."

"How exactly does that work? I mean, you guys haven't really been acting any different. Maybe a little closer, for obvious reasons, but not awkward." Bevin pointed out, "Are you like a couple now?"

"No." Savannah replied hastily, "We're just friends. It was a one night, crazy thing between best friends. We talked it out the next morning. It's not going to happen again but we're both totally cool with it."

"So why can't your friends know?" I asked, "I mean, we're all friends. Why couldn't you tell us? Why can't the guys know? Why would Nathan freak?"

"Well, because we're not being weird about it but we were afraid that it would make you all look at us weird. Like you would expect something different from us. Sort of like, now anytime you see us make a joke or laugh or hug you're going to think that it means more than just friendship and we didn't want that, because we're the same, we just have a more… intimate knowledge of each other now."

"Intimate. That's a funny word." Bevin started to laugh and then quieted, "Sorry. Go on."

"Just, please don't say anything. Especially to Xander who will want to question me and make sure I'm cool with it and Lucas who is going to be Lucas and take it upon himself to fix something that doesn't need to be fixed. We are perfectly fine." Savannah sighed, "Please guys?"

"Ok." We all agreed not to say anything to anyone, "So, what did Jake ask you?"

"He wanted to know how over Haley Nathan is and if I thought Nathan could handle not only the news that he and Haley slept together once but that they might actually try their hand at um… dating." Savannah sighed, "I'm scared to tell Nate actually. I'm not sure how he's going to react."

"Tell me what exactly?"

We all turned to see Nathan standing in the doorway smirking at us.

"What am I reacting to?" He walked over and jumped on Savannah's bed, laying so he could look down at us where we were sitting on the floor, "Did you buy me presents?"

"We did." Savannah smiled at him, "I thought you were out for the rest of the day?"

"I changed my mind." He smiled back at her and I suddenly realized she was right.

The way they were smiling at each other I already was thinking there was something more than just friendship there, something that had never occurred to me before I knew they had slept together.

"So seriously, what is it that you needed to tell me?" Nathan asked, "Is it bad? Is it about Haley? What'd she do now?"

We all looked around at each other but no one said a word.

"Wait, it can't be that bad." Nathan frowned, "Savannah, tell me. What's going on?"

"Maybe later Nate." Savannah shook her head and sighed, "Now's not the right time."

"I wanna know now. This is only making me more nervous. What's going on?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Savannah groaned and began to talk quickly.

"Haley slept with Jake and so Jake called to see if I thought you could handle the news that they slept together and then asked if I thought you would be cool if he dated her."

She took a deep breath after she said it and waited for a reaction.

"Did you tell them…?" Nathan looked at Savannah and then at us and I assumed he was silently asking her if she told them that the two of them had slept together too.

"They know." Savannah nodded, "Are you okay?"

"I'm… a little shocked." He said honestly, "I think I'm okay though. My heart isn't crumbling, which is a good thing."

Savannah agreed, moving closer to the bed so that if he needed her support she was close enough to him.

"I don't want to kill Jake, so that's a good thing too." Nathan took a deep breath, "I think I'm okay. It might have been different had you and I not… you know? When did this happen? With Haley and Jake?"

"The same night we did…" Savannah reached up and put her hand over his, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Nathan nodded slowly, "I'm fine. I will let you get back to wrapping presents and um… I'm gonna go chill in my room. Call me if you need me."

Nathan disappeared and Savannah started to get up to follow him but then sat back down, frowning and looking around at all of us.

"I think he's hurt more than he's saying." She said and we all sort of agreed, "Dammit. This sucks."

My phone rang before any of us could discuss the situation any further and I smiled, seeing it was Xander.

"Hey you."

"Hey you yourself." Xander responded and I could hear his smile, "You ever coming home or am I supposed to just sit around by myself all day?"

"We're wrapping presents." I replied, "Why? You miss me."

"Of course I do. Can I come over? I won't bug you guys I promise."

I looked around to make sure all of Xander's presents were wrapped and then covered the phone to ask if everyone else was cool with him coming over, which they were of course.

"Ok, you can come over." I told Xander, "Can you bring cookies with you? Chocolate chip ones. I just got a craving."

"Yes ma'am." Xander laughed, "I'll be there soon. Love you."

"Love you."

I hung up and then turned back to the other girls.

"What are we gonna do about Nathan?" Brooke asked, "I think we should do something don't you? It's not really fair. I mean, Haley left him, crushed and shattered his heart and then gets to move on so easily? I'm pissed at her. I don't know about the rest of you."

"I'm not happy with her but I don't know about pissed." I admitted, "I still find myself trying to see both sides. I had this conversation with Nathan once, not too long after it happened, about how Haley might have seen the situation and I think that maybe, just maybe it sunk in to Nathan that while none of think what she did was right, there could have been a logical explanation behind it. He's going to be ok."

"He told me about that." Savannah nodded to me, "The conversation you two had. It did make him see her side of things and I think the healing process really started then, but still… he's not over her in any way but to be honest, based on the conversation I had with Haley the day of her sleeping with Jake, she's not over Nathan either. I'm actually very surprised that she's trying to date so soon."

"Lucas says she's doing a lot of un-Haley-like things." Brooke said, "He's worried about her."

We all sat quietly for a little bit, thinking about the situation. I imagined that Savannah had more insight into the situation than the rest of us did, as she was the only person to have talked to both Nathan and Haley since the breakup other than Lucas, and she was also the only person who had slept with Nathan since the breakup. If she was worried, and she was because I could see it etched on her face, then maybe the rest of us should be worried too.

"Alright, let's stop all this worrying." Bevin suddenly demanded, "We can't control what's going to happen between Nathan and Haley and really, we wouldn't want to. They have to make their own mistakes and find their own way. We can support them but we can't do it for them so right now, let's focus on Christmas. Don't we have like a trillion tiny gift bags to make for the people we don't care about?"

She was correct. I realized that we had finished wrapping the big gifts and all that was left, other than the gifts we couldn't wrap around each other, were the gift bags we were going to make for the people coming over on Christmas Day that didn't merit a real gift. For the occasion, Savannah had gone into Bath & Body Works and purchased a huge amount of lotions, body sprays, creams, shower gels, etc.

"You should have bought the trial size ones." I told her as we began to pour out all the bags of pampering products.

"No, I didn't want them to think we didn't care at all." Savannah laughed, "Make sure to separate the men's products from the women's so we know who to give which to. I think we should do red bags for the women and green for the men and we'll do white tissue paper for everyone but green ribbon on the women's bags and red ribbon on the men's."

We all agreed to her game plan and then started the process, figuring out that if we did a sort of assembly line it went faster. We put three products in each bag. For the women's bags it was a body spray, body cream, and shower gel. For the men it was a cologne, a hair & body wash, and a shave gel.

There were about 20 different scents for women but only three for the men. All the women would get something different but the men would probably repeat.

"Who all is coming anyway?" I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea how many people would be at the dinner.

Savannah took a deep breath and began to list everyone out loud.

"My dad, Mariah and her man, your dad, Karen, Keith, Whitey, Dan, Deb, Royal, May, Bryan, Frank, Dana, Shari and Mark, plus I still haven't given up hope that Brooke's going to not get on her plane to California, Bevin's gonna talk her parents into attending and Skillz is gonna get over being afraid of his mom."

We all laughed at her as she grinned.

"In any case, we have more than enough of these things." Savannah looked around at the gift bags on the floor surrounding her just as a knock on her bedroom door interrupted us.

"I come bearing cookies." Xander entered the room with a box of what appeared to be homemade chocolate chip cookies and set them down next to me as he gave me a quick kiss, "Eat what you want and then share."

"No sharing." I opened the box and grinned, "These are from Karen aren't they?"

"Yes." Xander admitted, "I figured hers were the best anyway."

"Very true." I grabbed a cookie and then passed the box around to the other girls, "Xander, will you take one to Nathan? He's in his room."

"Sure." Xander grabbed the box from Bevin who was the last to grab a cookie and then headed out of the room to see Nathan.

We ate our cookies silently for a minute and I was just looking around to see that all of the gift wrapping was officially done when I heard Xander yell from the other room.

"YOU WHAT?" He screamed.

"Um… I don't think Nathan realized that when I told you guys about us sleeping together, I didn't want anyone else to know." Savannah groaned, "Xander!"

"Are you retarded?" Xander entered the room again staring at Savannah, "Mentally challenged Savannah? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I can make my own decisions and so can Nathan so why are you freaking out at me right now?" Savannah crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and I saw Xander's temper flare.

"I specifically remember you telling me that Haley could choose, if she wanted, to sue both you and Nathan for even thinking that you two had sex and then you actually go and have sex? What kind of stupid people do that?"

"I'm not stupid and neither is Nathan!" Savannah began to yell back, "Quit yelling at me! We made a choice to sleep together. It was one night, one time. We have agreed like rational people that we are just friends and nothing weird is going to come out of this and for your information, Haley slept with Jake the same night so it doesn't even matter."

Nathan was standing in the doorway to the room with a slightly sad, slightly amused look on his face as Xander and Savannah yelled at each other.

"Friends don't just have sex and forget about it Savannah. Sex always means something!"

"It did mean something. It meant that we are friends and we love each other as friends and there is nothing wrong with what we did." Savannah glared at Xander and I had to admit it was interesting to watch. I had never seen them argue like this.

"Does Haley know?" Xander asked a little more calmly.

"I don't know." Savannah shrugged, "Jake knows so maybe he'll tell her."

"You told Jake?" Nathan questioned, finally stepping into the room, "Why would you tell Jake?"

"Why would you tell Xander?" Savannah countered.

"You told Peyton, she would have told him anyway." Nathan frowned and I didn't object.

Truthfully I probably would have told Xander but I think he would have handled the situation a little differently had I been the one to tell him.

"You told Jake, the guy who is sleeping with my wife." Nathan was almost glaring at Savannah, "That makes no sense Savannah."

"I told you that he and Haley slept together. What's the difference?" Savannah argued, "So everyone involved knows now. It's not really a big deal Nathan."

"It kind of is Savannah." Nathan groaned, "This is a disaster."

He walked away before Savannah could argue any more but she headed out of the room calling his name, leaving the rest of us just sitting, wondering what we should do.

"You knew?" Xander finally asked me, "And you didn't tell me?"

"I just found out today." I replied, reaching up and holding his hand, "I was gonna tell you probably tonight."

"And do you agree with her? It's not a big deal?" Xander looked at me but I recognized that the question was aimed at all of us in the room.

"It changes things a bit." Camille said when none of us responded immediately, "But I already knew it was bound to happen. I live here. I see how they are when no one else is around. I'm surprised actually that this didn't happen sooner. There's all sorts of sexual tension there. Nathan doesn't realize it yet because he's not over Haley and Savannah doesn't realize it yet because she's still obsessed with my brother, but they're in love, as more than just friends. If I had to give an example of soul mates, I'd say it's them."

Her insight surprised all of us. Xander stood as if he was contemplating her words. Brooke's mouth was open like she was shocked. Bevin's eyes were wide. I didn't know what to think of it.

On one hand, any of us would be happy to see Savannah and Nathan together. I agreed with Camille that they could possibly be soul mates. They were the best example of best friends I had ever seen. They told each other everything. They shared everything. They had each other's backs no matter what. So from best friends to soul mates wasn't that big of a stretch in my head.

But on the other hand, I had seen Nathan and Haley from the beginning. I saw how they grew as a couple, as people, as friends, as lovers, and their marriage was one of the greats in my book, even if it had only lasted a short time. I didn't want to believe that it was really over, because even though I had accepted them breaking up, my heart still believed that they would get back together one day, because they were 'Naley'. They had to.

"They got really quiet." Bevin suddenly said, and I too realized that there were no longer any sounds coming from down the hall, "Do you think they killed each other?"

"Go check." Camille said and Bevin grinned, getting up to run down the hall.

She was just excited to be in on the gossip.

"Nope, both alive." Bevin came back in the room giggling.

"What are you giggling at?" Brooke asked her, an eyebrow raised.

"They…" She had to breath through her giggles, "are totally… having sex."

"You have got to be kidding me." Xander groaned, "Peyton, can we go home?"

"Sure baby." I sympathized with him. He was having a really hard time adjusting to this whole Nathan and Savannah thing, whatever their thing may be, "Can you help me load up some of the presents?"

"Yeah, what do I need to load?" Xander asked, looking around at all the presents.

"Just this pile." I pointed at the small pile next to me of the presents I had bought for everyone who wasn't in the room at that time, "Everything else we're going to leave under Savannah's tree so we can all open presents together on Christmas."

"Ok." Xander picked up the pile of presents, helped me up from the floor, and quickly said goodbye to the other girls as he headed downstairs.

I gathered my purse and other things I had sitting around, hugged my friends and said my goodbyes.

"You all be good now. Don't spy on Nate and Savannah too much."

"I'm right here. Why is anyone spying on me?" Savannah stood in the hallway, smiling at me, her hair recently redone and her clothes carefully smoothed so they didn't look disheveled.

I smiled and hugged her.

"No reason." I told her, laughing to myself, "See you later."

She glared at me but kept the smile on her face. Down the hallway I saw Nathan look out in the hallway, smile at me, and then close his bedroom door, disappearing again.

"Xander might kill you later, just so you know."

"I love my brother but sometimes he just needs to mind his own business." Savannah responded, looking around me at the steps where Xander was very obviously standing and listening to us.

"I love you Savannah. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Nathan would never hurt me." Savannah replied quickly, "You have nothing to worry about."

Xander sighed and shook his head but said nothing else to her. Instead he looked at me and smiled.

"You ready?"

"I'm ready." I smiled back at him and headed towards the stairs, "Bye guys!"

"Bye!"

When we got outside I looked around for my car but didn't see it.

"How did you get here?" I asked Xander as he headed for the driver's seat of the Range Rover.

"Lucas dropped me off." He said simply as we climbed into the car, "I realized that you of course had my car but you also had the keys to your car so I didn't have any way of driving myself so then I called Lucas because I figured he might be able to get the cookies from the café, which he did then he came, picked me up, and dropped me off."

"Well that was very nice of him." I reached over and set my hand over the hand Xander had resting in between our seats, "You ok?"

"I just don't understand this whole Savannah and Nathan sleeping together thing. What changed you know? Before, they were so adamant about not being together and just being friends and I mean, in a way, to me, it's like they're validating the reason why Haley left. They are giving her reason to be right."

"She wasn't right. They didn't have sex until after Nate and Haley were separated."

"It's the same thing." Xander looked over at me for a second and shook his head, "He's still married. It's the same thing."

I shrugged, not wanting to argue with Xander about it, but not holding the same opinion of it either.

"In any case, I don't think it's our place to judge them for the decisions they are making. Savannah's 18 and Nathan will be soon. They make their own choices and mistakes. All we can do is stand back and let things happen."

Xander again glanced over at me but this time said nothing. I knew he didn't agree with me but he wasn't going to say anything about it either. He wanted me to think he agreed with me.

"I love you." He said instead and I smiled.

"I love you too."

We pulled into our driveway and he turned to me with a mischievous grin.

"Wanna prove it?"

I unbuckled my seatbelt and laughed as I nodded.

"You have no idea what you just got yourself into."

_**One more Author's Note: Let me know please what you think about the Nate and Savannah thing, because I'm kind of torn with it. Do you think it's written realistically enough? Do you think it's even possible for friends to just be friends but still have sex? Do you think Camille's right about them being soul mates? I'd love your opinion because it might just shape the way the rest of the story goes. Anyway, love you guys! Thanks in advance to all of you who decide to review.**_


	34. Chapter 32: Christmas Eve

**_Author's Note: This is my favorite chapter, by far, in this entire story up to this point. That being said it would mean so much if you all gave me your honest opinion about it. I need to know if I'm on the right track. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Just be honest. I want to thank brilliant brunette, kapeesh and rachtree (who is actually reading from the beginning right now so won't read this chapter for awhile yet) for reading and reviewing. Again, you're the only thing that keeps me going. I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy :)_**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**Christmas Eve**

**Nathan POV**

The house was very quiet. I listened to my surroundings before I dared to open my eyes. The house was never this quiet. It was almost eerie the sound of nothing. As if time had stopped and everything ceased to exist except for me, lying here, eyes still closed, just listening.

I slightly opened my right eye expecting to see the alarm clock on my bedside table and instead only saw a framed picture of Savannah and I, me carrying her on my back down the hallway at school. I smiled and only then did I remember I wasn't in my bed. I hadn't slept in my bed last night at all. I was in Savannah's bed with Savannah.

I turned over to my other side carefully and found myself face to face with her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even, so I assumed she was still asleep. She looked like an angel when she was sleeping, her brown hair above her head like a halo and her features relaxed and so peaceful. Her left arm was up under her pillow and her right hand was tucked under her cheek. I liked looking at her when she was asleep. It was the only time I felt like I could stare at her without being judged for it.

"Quit staring at me. It's creepy." Savannah groaned, a slight smile coming over her features as she turned to lay on her back and stretch like she did every morning, "What time is it?"

"Um…" I sat up and looked at the clock by her side of the bed, "7:30."

"It's too early. Go back to sleep." She reached over and gently placed her hand on my face without looking, running her fingers over my features like she was looking for something, "Where's the snooze button?"

I laughed and opened my mouth as her fingers found my lips. Her index and middle finger fell in between my teeth and I bit down softly.

"Ow." Her eyes opened and she squinted to look over at me, "That was not nice."

"Wanna go for a run with me?" I asked her.

Savannah sighed and nodded, stretching again, this time her body arching under the blanket too.

"Since you woke me up, I guess I can go for a run with you."

She tossed the covers back and smiled at me when my eyes roamed over her pajama clad body. The girl could make dirt look sexy. She could be homeless and still look sexy, not that she ever would but, but if she was she would rock it. Even the polka dot pajama bottoms and tank top she was wearing looked sexy on her.

"Get up." She tossed one of the small pillows we had thrown on the floor the night before at me and headed for the bathroom.

When the door shut behind her I threw the covers off of me and stretched myself, sitting up and hanging my feet over the side of the bed. I slipped down and quickly made the bed before heading out of her room and over to mine. Normally I would have slipped into the shower and then gotten dressed for the day, but since we were going to go for a jog and get sweaty anyway, I just changed into my jogging suit and brushed my teeth, running my fingers through my hair before I headed back to her room to see if she was ready.

When I entered the room she was just pulling her tank top back on and she smiled over at me, grabbing her hoodie from her bed and coming to meet me at the doorway. She grabbed both of our IPOD's off her dresser, handed me mine, and then slipped past me to head downstairs.

"It's weird not having Camille or Tim here." She said as she headed into the kitchen, "Isn't it?"

"Yeah." I replied and caught the bottle of water she threw at me, "They'll be back tomorrow though."

Savannah nodded, opened her bottle and took a quick drink before stuffing it in the front pocket of her hoodie and then motioning for the door.

"Come on, let's go."

We jogged in silence down the quiet streets of the neighborhood. I listened to my music and she listened to hers. It was probably the one thing between us that we didn't agree on. The type of music we listened to was vastly different, mine rap and hers a mixture of pop, rock, and blues.

It was three miles from her house to Karen's Café and we jogged the whole way there, sweating and breathing hard as we arrived, swinging the door open and waving at Karen who was behind the counter.

"Good morning." She greeted us as Savannah and I both removed our headphones, "Early morning jog?"

We nodded, still out of breath as we took seats at the counter, pulling out our water bottles.

"Well Merry Christmas Eve." Karen set muffins on the counter in front of us, "Eat those. You'll love them."

Karen left to wait on the few other people who happened to be in the café at that time. Savannah stretched her legs out over my lap, laughing as she picked up her plate with her muffin and began to eat.

I didn't move her legs because I knew if I did she would just put them back up. Instead I reached over and picked off a piece of her muffin, popping it into my mouth quickly.

"Hey, eat your own." She frowned and I laughed.

"No, yours is better." I replied, reaching over and grabbing another bit before she could stop me.

"They are the same thing." Savannah argued, trying to pull her muffin out of my reach. "Eat yours."

The bell signaling someone new had just walked into the café rang and instinctively we both turned to look, seeing my mom walk in.

"Hey." My mom smiled at us, "I didn't expect you two to be up so early."

"It's his fault." Savannah replied, poking my shoulder and watching my mom as she went behind the counter and set her purse on a shelf below, "He was staring at me like a creep."

"Well, I tried to teach him not to do that when he was a kid but it's not like kids listen to their mothers now do they?" My mom smiled at me, "How are you honey?"

"I'm good mom." I answered her honestly, "Even though it's bound to be dramatic, I am actually looking forward to Christmas dinner tomorrow."

"Me too." Savannah said cheerily.

"Me three." My mom was grinning from ear to ear, "Your grandparents arrived last night, by the way. May would like to know what she should bring to dinner tomorrow."

Savannah sighed.

"Well, she can bring whatever she wants. I mean, my sister is making a whole lot of food, but there are a lot of us going to be there, so I assume that there can never be too much. What does she usually make for Christmas dinner?"

"The best honey ham you've ever had in your life." I answered the question before my mom could, "We don't spend that many holidays with them, but when we do, it's the best food ever."

"Well, ask her to make that then." Savannah told my mom, "My sister wasn't going to do ham. She's making turkey, pot roast, and like a zillion side dishes. She's bringing her Greek chef boyfriend who said he's going to make a Greek pork roast, but I'm sure that's going to be different than honey ham, so, just tell her to make whatever she would like to. We'd love to have it."

"You're Spanish right? What kind of things do you usually have traditionally in Spain?" My mom asked.

"Well, my mom is from Spain so if she had ever spent Christmas with us, we might have experienced traditional Spanish Christmas dinners, but the last time we spent Christmas with her was when I was three, so I don't really remember." Savannah sighed, "Normally we just do whatever my dad wants and we used to change it every year. Tamales one year, lasagna one year, turkey or ham, sometimes Chinese food. It didn't matter what we were eating, as long as we did it as a family."

Karen joined us again and said a quick hello to my mom.

"You told your sister I was bringing the desserts right?" Karen asked.

"Yep. She said that was great. She doesn't really do desserts. Cookies sometimes and like cheesecake, but not real dessert, so that will be awesome. I love that it's coming together. It's exciting." Savannah grinned at me and I smiled back.

"Do you need us to bring anything else other than food?" Karen began to clear our now empty plates, "Plates? Utensils?"

"Nope." Savannah shook her head, "Nate and I went and got everything we would need yesterday. Just bring yourselves and dessert and whatever else you feel like bringing. We're just glad to have you."

I looked up at the clock on the wall and nudged Savannah.

"We better get going. We have to pick up your dad from the airport in an hour and a half."

"K." Savannah removed her legs from my lap and hopped down from her stool, "Karen, can we have two bottled waters please?"

My mom was closer to the refrigerator so she grabbed them and handed them to us.

With a quick goodbye we headed out of the café, and headed back towards our house, walking at first and talking about the next day, then slipping our headphones back on and jogging the rest of the way home.

We got back home and we both headed to our own rooms, to our own showers and quickly showered and changed into clean clothes. Since I was always ready first I headed to her room when I was done and sat on her bed, waiting for her to finish her makeup so we could head out to the airport.

"Tell me about your grandparents." Savannah called out to me from her bathroom, "Are they cool or are they like your dad?"

"Well, my grandpa can be really intense, sort of like my dad but with good intentions." I told her, "Last time they were here he and my dad got into this huge fight."

"About what?"

"Well, at the time my parents were separated and I had quit the basketball team. It was right after I had collapsed from the performance drugs, and my dad wanted me to lie to my grandpa so that he wouldn't know that I had quit. Eventually during dinner it came out that I had quit and that I had taken drugs because of the pressure my dad was putting on me which led to my grandma revealing that my dad had quit basketball in college instead of the lie he had always told us which was that he had injured his knee and couldn't play anymore. So my grandpa was pissed, my dad was pissed, my grandma was disappointed in my dad I guess and the combination of it all just sort of exploded and they left angry. I guess with everything that has happened since then, that fight is not as important as they thought it was."

"Yeah, I mean, your parents are back together. You're emancipated and waiting to divorce your wife. You're playing basketball again, brilliantly if I might add. Your dad almost died…"

"Twice. This was before the heart attack too."

"Ok, so your dad almost died twice. I think it's good that your grandparents are coming."

"Me too." I admitted, "My grandma's really nice. I think you'll like her."

Savannah appeared from the bathroom, smiling and looking beautiful like she always did. She was, of course, immaculately put together in black pinstripe dress pants and a burgundy baggy sweater, her hair slicked back into a manicured ponytail and her makeup light. She slipped black boots on under her pants and grabbed her purse and car keys from the dresser.

"I bet I will like her. I bet I'll like your grandpa too. I never had grandparents that showed any interest in me so it'll be interesting to experience." She motioned for the door, "Come on you."

We headed outside and she blew a kiss to the Aston Martin, pouting as we had to take the Lexus since it sat more people. We pulled out of the driveway and were on our way to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

When we were about halfway there, Savannah's phone rang and with the touch of a button she answered it on speakerphone, as she did so often these days.

"Hey, you on your way to the airport to pick up dad?" Xander's voice came through clearly.

"Yeah." Savannah replied, "Why?"

"Mariah and Theo are arriving at the same time on my plane. Can you pick them up too? I was supposed to do it but I have very last minute Christmas shopping to do and Peyton's not feeling great today so I wanted to let her rest."

"Sure." Savannah replied, "Theo is his name?"

"Theodoros I think." Xander sounded like he was frowning, "But she calls him Theo."

"I would too." I mumbled.

"Hi Nathan." Xander said.

"Hi Xander."

"Alright, so we'll pick them up. Anything else?" Savannah asked.

"Nope. Love you. Be good."

"Love you too." Savannah hung up the phone, "Hmm… I wonder which one we are supposed to pick up first."

"Probably your dad." I said, "Or you can drop me off to meet your dad and you go get Mariah or vice versa."

"No." Savannah shook her head, "No, we'll do this together."

We parked the car with the airport valet and headed inside. We stood at baggage claim, talking and laughing until I finally spotted Deacon headed towards us and Savannah took off, jumping into her dad's arms and giving him a huge hug.

"How are you Nathan?" Deacon greeted me with a firm handshake.

"Good sir. How are you?"

"Long flight. I forget how horrible it is flying commercially." Deacon had his arm around Savannah who was staring up at her dad with complete admiration, "Did you like your birthday present pumpkin?"

"I love it!" Savannah burst into an animated rant about all the things she loved about her new car.

The Aston Martin was her favorite subject. Any time someone asked she spent at least ten minutes talking about it.

"I'm glad you like it sweetheart." Deacon kissed her forehead and smiled at me, "Shall we get out of here? I'm starved. Know a place we can get lunch?"

"We have to pick up Mariah from the other side of the airport first." Savannah said, "Xander was gonna get them but he's doing last minute Christmas shopping for Peyton who is having a rough day. So he asked us to pick them up first."

"Ok." Deacon nodded, "She's bringing her boyfriend isn't she?"

"She is. It will be the first time any of us get to meet him." Savannah replied, "Should be eventful. Oh, when does your flight out leave tomorrow?"

"Actually," Deacon paused, "I decided to stay for Christmas day, since there hasn't been a single Christmas I haven't spent with you since you were born, I didn't want to start now."

"Seriously daddy?" Savannah's eyes lit up like a child in a candy store.

Deacon nodded and Savannah hugged him again.

"This is so exciting. So you know we have everyone coming to our house for Christmas dinner tomorrow right?"

"I heard about it." Deacon smiled, "I'm up for it."

"Good."

We found our way to the car and after throwing Deacon's one suitcase into the trunk, headed around the airport to the hanger where Xander's plane always landed and was stored. The plane was already there so we assumed Mariah was waiting.

"Hey!" Savannah jumped out of the car and headed to where she saw Mariah standing, "I'm sorry you had to wait. We had to pick up daddy first."

I stood at the car watching Savannah and Deacon greet Mariah with hugs and chatter. I wondered where this boyfriend of hers was, as I didn't see him around anywhere. I did see Mariah point towards the hanger and then after a few minutes of just standing around, I saw a very tall tanned man in casual wear walk towards us, carrying several suitcases with a grin. Even from where I was standing his white teeth were blinding and I could almost see Savannah's eyes pop out as she stared at him.

He approached Mariah and set the bags down while it looked like he was introduced to Savannah and Deacon. Then they turned to head towards me at the car and so I was assuming this was her boyfriend.

"Theo, this is my best friend Nathan." Savannah introduced me when they made it to the car, "Nathan, this is Mariah's boyfriend Theo."

"It's nice to meet you." I shook his hand and noticed the strong grip, a sign that he was a man who could respected, according to the rules my parents had taught me growing up anyway.

"You too." Theo smiled at me and spoke with a very thick Greek accent.

"Daddy says he's hungry." Savannah said, to Mariah more than anyone else, "You two hungry?"

"We ate a bit on the plane but we could use a real meal. Where are we going?"

Deacon and I helped Theo load the bags into the trunk while Savannah and Mariah debated food choices. It wasn't like there was a whole lot to choose from in Tree Hill but they debated and finally just settled on going to Karen's, which is where we usually went.

"This is a beautiful town." Theo said as we drove through the streets leading to downtown.

Mariah grinned up at him from her spot in the middle of the backseat, sandwiched between Theo and I, letting Deacon sit up front with Savannah.

"It's really quaint, which I mean as a compliment." Mariah added, "Was it nice growing up here Nathan?"

"Um… I don't know." I laughed a little, "I wouldn't know what to compare it to so I don't know that it was nice or not nice. Growing up with my dad it's hard to know if anything was nice."

"Oh that's right, your dad's evil. I forgot about that." Mariah laughed, "Hey dad, you should divorce mom and let her marry Nathan's dad. They sound like they're meant for each other."

Deacon laughed and nodded.

"Maybe I should. How's your mom Nathan?"

I knew they were joking but it was almost worth contemplating. Marry my mom to Deacon who was actually a nice guy and let their bitch mom marry my asshole dad. It could work.

Savannah pulled up to Karen's a few minutes later and we all headed inside, laughing still about the possibility of Deacon getting together with my mom which became funnier when my mom was the one behind the counter as we walked in.

"Speaking of my mom…" I smiled at her as she turned around and spotted us, "Hey mom."

"Hi sweetie." She came out from around the counter and headed towards us, "Twice in one day. I feel privileged."

I chuckled slightly and hugged her, then stepped back to introduce her to Savannah's family.

"Mom, this is Savannah's dad Deacon, her sister Mariah and Mariah's boyfriend Theo. This is my mom Deb."

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." My mom wiped her hands on her apron and shook each of their hands, "Have a seat anywhere you'd like. I'll get you some menus. Lucas and Brooke might want to join you. They just ran out to the store for Karen to grab a few more ingredients she needs for the pies she's making for tomorrow."

"We will save them seats." Savannah said as we pulled a few of the smaller tables together and had a seat in our usual corner, "Order anything on the menu. It's all fabulous."

Karen came out to say hi a few minutes later and since she was there, took our order and then headed back to the kitchen while we all sat and talked.

"So how is Greece right now?" Savannah struck up conversation with Mariah and Theo, "Eventually I want to come visit."

"You should." Mariah replied enthusiastically, "It's beautiful. The water is so blue. Everything is so… I don't know the word for it. The color of the atmosphere just seems different, you know?"

"I think Greek is the next language I should learn." Savannah declared, "I finally got German down I think, so Greek is next."

"How many languages do you speak?" Theo asked Savannah, "Mariah said five, yes?"

"Six now." Savannah replied with a smile, "I love languages. I think I will forever be learning a new language, I just have to remember to use them every once in awhile so I don't forget them."

"What languages?" Theo asked.

"English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German." Savannah replied, "Do you speak any other languages other than Greek and English?"

"I'm afraid my English is only so-so." Theo smiled and shook his hand to illustrate his point, "Only Greek fluently but I would love to learn more. Mariah's been trying to teach Italian to me."

"Italian is beautiful." Savannah sighed.

"It's harder to teach him because I know the English translations for Italian words but his English isn't great and my Greek isn't great, so we haven't gotten very far yet. Learn Greek Savannah so you can teach me and then you can teach Theo the other languages you know."

"Ok." Savannah nodded enthusiastically, "That would be fun."

"Hey!" Brooke and Lucas entered the café and another round of introductions ensued. Lucas took the stuff they had bought at the store into the back to his mom and then joined us at the table.

I heard Brooke lean into Savannah and whisper while everyone else was chatting among themselves.

"Holy shit," Brooke whispered, "He's a Greek god."

"I know." Savannah giggled and Brooke grinned as I just shook my head.

We ate lunch at talked about all sorts of things for the next couple of hours, just relaxing and being able to hold good conversation. Mariah talked about the life that she and Theo shared in Greece. Savannah filled them in on what had been going on in Tree Hill minus the part where she and I had slept together a few times. She would probably tell Mariah that when it was just the two of them but I knew she didn't want her dad in on that kind of information.

"Brooke, when does your flight to California leave?" I asked during a lull in the conversation.

"Ugh, tonight at like 8." Brooke crinkled her nose, "I considered accidentally missing my plane and seeing how long it would take my parents to figure out I didn't arrive."

"Oh, you should!" Savannah exclaimed, "That would be awesome."

Brooke laughed.

"It's so weird that they actually want me to go out there for a holiday. We never spend holiday's together."

"You too huh?" Mariah raised her eyebrows, "See Savannah? And here we were thinking it was only our mom who sucked."

"No, I had so many friends at BHP who never saw either of their parents. It's like a ritual for rich people. Hand your kid a credit card and walk away."

"We're not talking about you dad." Mariah reached across the table and put her hand over Deacon's, "We know you care. It's just like mom and some of these parents I've heard about, it's ridiculous. When I have kids, I'm never letting them out of my sight."

"Me either." Brooke agreed, "Raising a kid the right way is too important to let a stranger do it."

"Are you guys going by to see Peyton at all in the next few hours?" Karen asked as she came out from the kitchen again and stood next to Lucas with her hand on his shoulder.

"We didn't have plans to but we could." Savannah replied, "Why?"

"Larry said he was worried about her. She's not feeling great today so I thought I might send some soup with you over there if you were going."

"It's on our way home and it would give us a chance to show you their new house." Savannah said to her dad and Mariah who nodded, "We'll go Karen."

"Thanks sweetie." She disappeared into the back and came back with soup, crackers, and a bottle of ginger ale, "I really appreciate it."

"Of course." Savannah hugged Karen and took the bag, which ended up being the mark to the end of our meal.

Deacon paid the bill, even though Karen tried to tell him it was on the house, and we said goodbye to Brooke and Lucas before heading out of the café and back to the car.

We all squeezed in again and then we were headed to Xander and Peyton's house before we went home.

"Peyt?" Savannah called out as we walked inside the front door, "Xander?"

Both cars were outside so we assumed they were both home.

We heard footsteps upstairs and Xander appeared on the stairs shortly after, smiling when he saw we were all there.

"Hey…" He took the last few steps quickly, hugging his dad and sister who introduced him to Theo, "It's nice to meet you."

"Karen sent us over with some soup for Peyton. She ok?"

"She's fine. She's tucked into bed, watching TV." Xander smiled, "Go up. She's been going crazy cause I'm making her stay in bed."

Savannah motioned for me to follow her and the two of us ran upstairs to see Peyton.

"Thank you God." Peyton exclaimed as we entered the room, "I am so bored."

"Well, we brought you soup, crackers, and ginger ale from Karen." Savannah hopped up onto the bed and handed Peyton the bag of food, "How you doin?"

"I'm alright. I've just been really nauseous all day, which I haven't been in awhile so it hit me hard. I thought the morning sickness was pretty much over and yeah, I guess not. So Xander insisted I stay in bed, which I didn't while he was gone shopping, but don't tell him that."

Savannah and I promised we wouldn't and Peyton smiled.

"So did you meet Mariah's boyfriend?"

"We did. He's downstairs." Savannah grinned widely, "He's gorgeous. Brooke said he looks like a Greek god and I think I agree. He's tall, very muscular, tanned and he's got like light green eyes. They stand out so much against his tan skin he's seriously beautiful."

"And that's my cue to leave." I teased her but Savannah grabbed my hand to make me stay.

"I can't wait to meet him." Peyton laughed, "How's life Nate?"

"I'm good." I told her honestly, "It's Christmas Eve. How can I not be good?"

"Just checking." Peyton smiled at me.

I knew she wanted to ask me if I was sad about spending the holiday's without Haley. I knew she wanted to ask Savannah and I if we were still sleeping together. I knew she even wanted to ask how I felt about Haley being with Jake, but she didn't ask any of those questions. She just kept smiling.

"So are you and Xander still coming over for dinner tonight?" Savannah broke the silence.

"If he'll let me get out of bed." Peyton groaned, "I want to still come over tonight. We're gonna do family gifts tonight right?"

"Yeah, I figured we would do like our gifts to Dad, Mariah and Theo and their gifts to us tonight. I assumed you and Xander would want to do your gifts to each other on your own here at your house at some point and I think we're gonna do ours in the morning, right Nate?"

"Yep."

We had plans to wake up at the crack of dawn to exchange gifts with each other and open our stockings, which we had made each other also. We had made stockings for all our friends as well, but we knew we figured we could give those to them when they all came over for dinner. Christmas morning was going to be just for us to share.

"Ok, well we can do like Xander and I's gifts to you two and your gifts to us tonight too right? That way we get those done with."

"Sure." Savannah nodded, "Sounds good."

"Alright, so I guess I just have to convince Xander to let me go still."

"We better get going." Savannah reached up to hug Peyton and then I was able to do the same, "See you tonight. We'll put in a good word downstairs."

"Thanks." Peyton laughed, "I think I need it."

Savannah closed the door to Peyton's room behind us and I followed her back downstairs, finding Mariah, Theo, Xander and Deacon sitting in the living room laughing about something we had clearly missed.

"Is Peyton ok?" Mariah asked when she realized we were in the room.

"Yeah, she's fine." Savannah smiled, "Xan, you're still bringing her over for dinner tonight right?"

"I guess so." Xander nodded, "If she's feeling up to it. I've kind of had her on bed rest today. I just thought it was weird that being so close to the end of her first trimester the nausea would hit her so strongly again. I didn't want to take any chances. She was really dizzy and I just saw in my head her getting dizzy and feeling nauseous on the stairs and like falling."

"You're very melodramatic." Mariah laughed, "Dizziness is normal at this stage of pregnancy. The nausea is a little weird but some women don't get over the morning sickness during their entire pregnancy or at least well into the second trimester so she might be one of those."

"Have you been pregnant and I didn't know about it?" Savannah laughed, "How do you know all this?"

"I used to work reception at that OB/GYN's office in high school, remember? You'd be surprised what you learn in a place like that."

"Oh my God, I forgot you did that. Cause you were thinking about being a doctor and so you wanted to see what it was like." Savannah grinned, "Now I remember."

"Yep." Mariah grinned back, "So don't worry about Peyton. I'm sure she's fine. Just walk down the stairs with her."

Xander smiled.

"Thanks. I'll do that."

"We better get going guys. We have a lot to do before tonight and tomorrow." Savannah said to everyone which began the round of goodbye's and see you later's.

One last time we all squeezed into the Lexus and drove the mile or so back to our house, pulling into the driveway and piling back out of the car. Savannah popped the trunk so everyone could collect their luggage as she ran over to the Aston to place a small kiss on the window.

I laughed at her loudly. She loved that car so much.

"Oh my God, that is a beautiful car. When did you get that?"

"Daddy got it for me for my birthday." Savannah beamed in her father's direction, "It's the best birthday present ever."

"I would say so. Hey dad! My birthday's coming up." Mariah joked.

"If I bought one for you then I'd have to buy one for Xander and then Savannah would be upset cause she's not the only one who has one in the family so I'd have to come up with something even better for her next time which is not an easy feat." Deacon argued, "I think you're old enough to buy your own cars now."

"Story of my life." Mariah sighed, showing the first sign of jealousy towards Savannah that I had seen since I met her.

Savannah had told me that Mariah had always been jealous of her when they were growing up but I hadn't seen it. Of course, I hadn't been around Mariah that much, but she had been nice the times I had been around. This flash of jealousy was a first for me.

"I'll let you drive it." Savannah offered Mariah as she came back over to grab a bag from the trunk, "It's amazing."

"Yeah? Maybe I'll use it to go get the stuff I'm gonna need for tomorrow's big dinner. Some of the rarer ingredients we already researched and we're gonna have to drive to Myrtle Beach for them."

"That's like an hour south of here." Savannah said, "You can take my car if you promise to be careful. It's my baby so if anything happened to it I'd kill you."

"I'll be careful." Mariah was grinning, "Alright, let's get this luggage in the house so that we can get on the road to Myrtle Beach."

Once in the house Savannah and I showed Mariah, Theo, and Deacon the rooms they would be using. The last two rooms in the house since Camille, Savannah and I each had our own rooms.

"We assume you two share a room." Savannah teased Mariah and Theo as she dropped one of their bags into Xander's old room.

"We do." Mariah stuck her tongue out at Savannah, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Savannah hugged Mariah and then headed back into the hallway where I was standing, waiting for her, "Come on. Let's go start decorating the house."

"K, wait a second." I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards me in one motion, pinning her body against mine while I leaned against the wall. My lips were on hers before she could object.

"Nathan!" She hissed, pulling away after the kiss had ended, "You cannot just steal a kiss whenever you feel like it."

"Why not?" I smiled at her.

"Just because we've had sex doesn't mean that you get to… kiss me all the time." Savannah frowned, maybe realizing how weird that sounded, "We're just friends remember? Friends don't kiss all the time."

"Friends also don't have sex." I reminded her, "We're just breaking rules all over the place. I think that we should make our own set of rules."

"Ok, well my first rule is no random kisses." Savannah stuck her tongue out at me and took off down the hall before I could stop her again, leaving me to wonder if she was really bothered that much by me kissing her.

"Savannah…"

I took off after her, finding her finally in one of the downstairs rooms we generally used for storage, shuffling all the bags of decorations and supplies for the next couple days festivities around.

"Savannah, I'm sorry. I didn't know it would bother you so much." I apologized for the kiss although I didn't understand the need to do so, "Hey, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad." Savannah stood up and looked at me rolling her eyes, "I… My dad or Mariah or Theo could have walked out any second and seen us kissing and then I would have had to try to explain to them our relationship which half of the time I don't understand myself. I just… I was more worried about that then the kiss and I took it out on you. I'm sorry ok? I just don't want to have to try to explain to more people that we're friends who occasionally kiss and on two occasions have had sex."

"And sometimes sleep in the same bed." I smiled remembering our "pajama party" the night before. We hadn't had sex we just watched movies, laughed, joked, hung out, and fell asleep together.

"Yeah." Savannah sighed, "We just don't have the type of friendship that most people can understand. We're different and it's hard to explain to people because most of them just don't get it."

"I know." I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms, shutting the door so that no one could suddenly see us, "Can I kiss you now?"

She smiled and nodded, letting herself relax in my arms as our lips met again, this time in a much more sensual, soft, tranquil kiss. We broke apart when there was a knock at the door.

"See." Savannah hissed at me jokingly, moving around me to open the door, "Hey Dad. Sorry, there's so much stuff in here it's almost impossible to have the door open."

She was always good at those cover stories. I moved to grab a few bags of nearby decorations and turned as she opened the door to reveal Deacon on the other side.

"Wanna help us decorate?" Savannah asked her dad, "There's a ton to do."

"Sure." Deacon nodded, "What should I grab?"

Savannah pointed out a couple of bags that he could pick up and then disappeared down the hallway back towards the living room. I moved to follow her but Deacon stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Pink's not really your color Nathan. You might want to…" Deacon motioned for me to wipe my lips off and I silently cursed myself for having to steal that kiss.

I wiped my lips hastily and turned to Deacon who nodded as a sign that the lipstick was gone.

"Please don't say anything…" I didn't want Savannah to freak out but Deacon just ran his fingers across his lips as the universal sign for "my lips are sealed" and I nodded, "Thank you."

I heard Christmas music suddenly coming from the living room and I assumed that's where Savannah was at. I set all the bags I was carrying with hers on the dining room table we had manifested into the dining room a couple days before. The pool table had been retired to the other empty room downstairs for the time being, since we were actually going to be having a "dinner party."

"Alright, decorating can now begin." Savannah joined Deacon and I in the dining room as she began to unload the bags we had set down.

I helped her unload and as the bags were unloaded we would bring more from the other room in so that we knew what all we were working with. Truth be told we had gone to Party City the day before and just bought everything we thought we would like and hadn't really paid attention to what it was until now. We had streamers, balloons, a helium tank, signs that said Merry Christmas. There were plastic Santa's and silly red and green champagne glasses. We had even bought mistletoe.

We went to work decorating after sorting out all the different decorations into groups on the table based on what Savannah wanted in each room. She sent Deacon upstairs to hang mistletoe in every doorway, a move I appreciated greatly.

"Hey, we're leaving for Myrtle Beach." Mariah joined us for a second in the dining room, "Woah, that's an explosion of decorations."

"It's fabulous isn't it?" Savannah grinned, "The keys to the Aston are in my purse. Have fun."

"Thanks." Mariah hugged Savannah and then took off.

We heard the front door close behind her and Theo just a few seconds later.

"So, since we're hanging mistletoe everywhere… do I get to kiss you when we're under that?" I asked Savannah as we continued to open the numerous plastic bags enclosing our decorations.

"Of course." Savannah smiled up at me, "What is it with you and kissing me today? We never kiss this much."

"I don't know." I shrugged, "Maybe it's the holiday spirit. I'm infected and I have to pass it on to you."

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"You're crazy." She paused for a moment, "Hey, I'm glad you're happy though. I have to admit I was a little worried about how the holiday was gonna go for you. There's a lot going on…"

"I am honestly trying to forget Haley exists." I said, knowing that's what she was talking about, "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Focus on the fact that she's gone? I can't sit around and dwell on it Savannah. Hanging out with you makes me happy and since you're here, I figure you're much more worthy of my thoughts than she is."

"Well, I'm glad to know I'm worthy." She giggled, "I'm gonna take all the kitchen decorations and start decorating. You wanna start on the foyer?"

"Sure."

We each grabbed a pile of decorations and headed to our individual rooms. While I was busy wrapping green and red garland around the railings of the staircase I could see Savannah in the kitchen climbing on counters to reach the ceilings to hang streamers and other crazy decorations.

"Be careful!" I called out to her and she spotted me through the doorway, smiling at me.

"I'm always careful."

It took us a good three hours to decorate the whole house but by the time we were finished there wasn't a room you could walk into that wasn't festive. Deacon had excused himself during the process to go take a nap as he said his flight had tired him out so when we were finished, Savannah and I collapsed onto the couch in the once again quiet house. The only sound was our Christmas music.

"What do you wanna do now?" I asked her as she stretched out on the couch, her head in my lap as she laid on her back looking up at me.

"Sleep." She closed her eyes as I ran my fingers through her ponytail which was draped up over my lap and then over the arm of the couch so that she didn't lay on it.

"You're hair is so long." I commented, admiring it. Normally I didn't notice her hair but the silky ponytail caught my eye today.

"Thanks." Savannah replied sleepily. Within minutes she was asleep which left me sitting there alone.

My thoughts turned to things I would rather not think about, namely Haley and Jake which I had tried every day to erase from my mind. I would never admit it to any of my friends, even Savannah, but I was conflicted over the idea of my wife sleeping with another man, any man, other than me. It didn't matter that I had slept with another woman. It didn't matter that Haley and I were separated. My heart still hurt at the thought of her being in someone else's arms, the way she used to be in mine. I had been her first, her only, and it was supposed to stay that way, for the rest of our lives.

Without realizing it my eyes had begun to drip with the tears I had forbid myself to shed. One landed on Savannah's forehead but she didn't stir. Quickly I wiped it up and the ones on my own face, not wanting anyone to see me, in case they came in. I wouldn't be caught shedding any more tears for Haley. She was no longer worth it.

And yet, my heart wouldn't stop yearning for her. I said I wouldn't forgive her and my heart objected. I said I didn't want to think of her and my heart began to pound at the slightest memory. I swore to stop wanting her and my heart ached with the pain of needing her. Maybe that was why I had been kissing Savannah today. I needed a distraction.

Even the thought of using Savannah as a distraction brought feelings of confusion and indecision flooding into my brain. Savannah was my best friend. She knew everything about me and if there was something she didn't know, as soon as I realized she didn't know it, I told her. We connected on more levels than I had connected with anyone, including Haley. She was kind, caring, loving, funny, beautiful, sensual, soft, warm, sweet… the list could continue forever. She didn't deserve to be used.

"Nathan."

I turned to see Mariah standing in the doorway between the foyer and the living room, smiling at me. I hadn't even heard her come in.

"Is Savannah asleep?" She whispered.

I looked down at the sleeping angel in my lap and nodded with a smile.

"Ok. I'll try to keep it down. I'm in the kitchen if you need me."

I was going to drive myself crazy if I kept sitting her just thinking so I very slowly slipped out from underneath Savannah's head, setting it gently on a small couch pillow instead. She stirred, turning onto her side but not waking up. I found a small throw blanket to throw over her while she slept and then headed into the kitchen where Mariah and Theo were already busy stirring and whipping together food.

"Hey." Mariah smiled at me when I entered, "What's up?"

"Need any help? I'm not a great cook but I also don't have anything else to do so…"

"Actually…" Mariah looked around and nodded, "Wash your hands. I think I can use you."

I washed my hands in the kitchen sink and then dried them quickly on a paper towel before joining Mariah at the kitchen island and waiting for further instruction.

"Can you chop vegetables?" She asked pointing to a bag of produce, "I need onions, lettuce, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, radishes… well, there's a lot of produce to cut up. Think you can handle it?"

"I probably can't do it as good as you can but I think I can handle it." I admitted, turning to grab the cutting board I knew we kept on the counter behind me, "What should I start with?"

Mariah gave me simple instructions on what to cut up, how to cut it and I followed them to the best of my ability until several hours later Savannah was suddenly by my side, squinting as she did usually when she had just woken up, trying to see what I was doing.

"Are you cooking?" She asked me as if she was confused.

"No. I'm just cutting vegetables." I smiled over at her, "Did you have a good nap?"

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"It smells amazing in here."

"Thank you." Mariah and Theo said at the same time, both laughing.

"Nathan, can you hand me that big bowl of potatoes?" Mariah asked.

I grabbed the bowl I had filled a few minutes before and handed it to her as she began to grab them with her hand and throw them into the simmering pot of whatever she was cooking.

I went back to cutting up broccoli and looked over at Savannah who smiled.

"I'm gonna go upstairs, shower, and get ready for dinner tonight. We only have about an hour before everyone gets here."

"Ok."

She leaned in and kissed my cheek which surprised me, but she turned and left before I could respond.

"I can handle it from here." Mariah was suddenly at my side, taking the knife from my hand and nudging me, "Get out of here. Go get ready."

I headed upstairs, stopping at Savannah's room before I headed to mine. She was sitting at the end of her bed, staring at the wall as if she were lost.

"You ok?" I asked, taking a step into the room slowly.

"Huh?" Savannah snapped her head around to look at me and laughed quietly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Still in my 'I just woke up' daze I think. You finished helping Mariah?"

"Yeah. She said she would take over so I could come upstairs and get ready." I sat next to her on her bed and she laid her head on my shoulder, "You sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine."

My thoughts went back to what I had been thinking about earlier. About Savannah being my distraction from my problems.

"You're fine with the way things are between us right?"

Savannah's head snapped up and she looked over at me, frowning.

"I'm fine with the way things are between us." She said, "What's on your mind?"

The rules of our relationship mandated that I tell her the truth when she asked me a question like that.

"I was thinking earlier about stuff and I just feel like…" This was the hard part. I didn't want to tell her I felt like I was using her. "I feel like I'm using you to distract myself from the issues I have with Haley but I also truly care about you so I don't want you to end up getting hurt. I need to know that you're completely cool with us being friends who are occasionally more than friends."

She was quiet for a second which scared me. Suddenly I was afraid that she wasn't going to be ok with it. I was afraid that I had offended her somehow.

Without warning she stood up and went to the bedroom door, closing it and I heard the lock click. She apparently didn't want anyone to be able to come in the room or she didn't want me to be able to get out. Maybe she was about to kill me for being such a dick and using her.

"Are you ok with us?" Savannah finally spoke as she was walking back towards me.

I nodded, unsure of whether to speak, especially when she stopped right in front of me and stared down at me, our eyes connecting but I couldn't read the emotion in hers.

"Are you sure?" She asked, "Honestly Nathan, I know that you are not over Haley and may never be because you loved her enough to marry her which is a love I can't even comprehend. I understand that. I've known it every single day regardless of us sleeping together or kissing or just hanging out. It's always there in my mind."

It scared me to think she might be right about never getting over Haley. I hoped that I could get past Haley eventually, but it was possible that I wouldn't be able to.

"The truth is…" I gulped when Savannah moved closer to me placing her hands on my shoulders as she climbed up and straddled my waist, "I'm not over Bryan. I may never be over Bryan. I'm still dating him despite the developments between you and me. Technically he is my non-exclusive boyfriend. He means a lot to me. Are you cool with that?"

I was having trouble even hearing what she was saying, let alone actually thinking about being ok or not ok with her still seeing Bryan. The heat from her being so close, so intimately close, was already translating into a reaction from my body.

"I'm fine with that." I finally managed to say, grabbing her waist, pulling her to me and crushing my lips against hers.

I fell back onto the bed bringing Savannah with me as our lips never parted. The movement caused her to grind against me and I groaned into her mouth. She reacted by moving again, grinding into me further.

"Oh, hold on." I cringed as Savannah sat up and lifted a little so that I could reach into my pants and adjust myself so that I wasn't hard and pointing in a weird, painful direction, "Ok, better."

She sat back down and smiled at me, leaning forward and running her fingers through my hair as she placed light kisses on my neck, finally taking my earlobe in her mouth and sucking on it gently. Her body was connected with mine at more places than I cared to notice, focusing instead on her ministrations to my neck and ear.

"We have to get ready for dinner." She whispered in my ear and before I could stop her she had climbed off of me, off of the bed, and was in her closet apparently picking out something to wear.

"That is rude." I called after her, sitting up and supporting myself on my elbows to stare at her where she stood in the closet, "Get back here. You can't leave me hanging like that."

"You have to take a shower right?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear in my direction as I nodded, "Better make it a cold one."

Maybe this was punishment for admitting I was using her to distract myself from Haley. Maybe this was her way of leaving me wanting more, which I really, really did. Maybe she just wanted to torture me to prove a point, although what point she was proving wasn't really coming across to me right now.

"You're evil." I told her as she came out from the closet having stripped down to nothing but her tank top and lace underwear, "Seriously evil. Please come here."

She cocked her head to the side and contemplated me, still laying on the bed, pouting pitifully. She turned and sauntered her way over to me, climbing back on top of me where I could rest my hands on her practically bare ass. Even I knew the grin on my face had to look goofy.

"So are we gonna make this like a friends with benefits situation then?" She asked suddenly, "The sex wasn't just a random occurrence before? We're gonna keep doing it?"

"I could be good with that." I replied before I had even thought about it.

"Seriously Nathan, take a second to think about it. Friends with benefits? It always ends up with someone getting hurt." She was pouting which wasn't a good sign.

"It's kind of hard to think when you look so damn good." I tried to joke as I ran my hands up and down her bare legs but she didn't even crack a smile, "Ok, ok. Um… You're right. It's not a good idea but what's another solution? We've already had sex. I enjoyed it and I think you did too. We both understand the feelings that we both harbor for other people. We are and always have been honest with one another. If this gets bad, or it gets too deep for either one of us, we just be honest and we get out of it. Wouldn't that work?"

"At the point that we realize either of us is in too deep, we're already in too deep." Savannah was still pouting, "I just don't know Nathan. I don't want to get hurt and I don't want to hurt you."

"You're over analyzing it." I told her simply, staring straight into her eyes, "We are best friends. I love you. You love me. If anyone can make friends with benefits work, it's us and I'm not suggesting anything we aren't already doing. We hang out, we have fun together, sometimes we kiss and on rare occasions, we have sex. That's not a bad idea is it? I'm still married. You're sort of in a relationship. We're not getting serious with each other. We're just being friends who do a little more than most friends do sometimes."

"You're full of shit." She finally cracked a smile and placed both her hands flat on my chest, "But you're shit sort of makes sense. Ok, I'm in."

"Good." I pulled her down to kiss her and for a moment we got lost in each other again.

After the very passionate kiss ended, she rested her forehead on mine, staring deep into my eyes and sighing.

"Best friends forever?" She asked quietly.

"Forever." I smiled and she smiled back before slipping off of me and without another word went to her bathroom and soon I heard the shower running.

Knowing that at this point we were almost definitely running late, I went to the door, unlocking it and opening it so that I could head to my own room. The cold shower I ended up taking calmed me down, as did the thoughts that seemed to always accompany me being alone.

I thought about the uncertainty in Savannah's eyes. I could see her debating if what we were moving towards was worth risking our friendship. I saw the doubt, the confusion, the fear. It instilled those same emotions in my but I kept telling myself we were going to be fine. I had to convince myself of that or else I had no idea how I was going to wake up tomorrow. If I wasn't moving forward, I would get stuck. Stuck beating myself up about Haley. Stuck wondering if I was bound to be alone forever. Stuck over-analyzing my life, kind of like I was doing now.

By the time I was dressed and ready to go back downstairs I could already hear Peyton and Xander downstairs, laughing with Deacon, Mariah and Theo. I didn't hear Savannah so I decided to stop by her room on my way downstairs and found her sitting at the edge of her bed, dressed and ready, but staring again at the wall as she had been earlier.

"Hey." I knocked on the door and she looked up at me with a quick smile, "We're both over thinking this. If we just let it happen, it will happen the right way. If we think about how it could get messed up, we're gonna make a mistake."

She contemplated my words, biting on her lower lip as if she were nervous, and then nodded, her trademark smile recovering her features as she stood.

"You're right." She said simply as she joined me in the doorway, "We're both getting too uptight. We're not uptight people. We're fun people and we're having fun right?"

"Right." I grinned and in the silence that followed directed her eyes to the mistletoe above us.

She laughed and nodded, leaning forward to plant a very quick peck on my lips to which I scoffed.

"I don't think so." I pulled her into my arms and planted my lips directly over hers, teasing her for a second before letting our tongues mingle, the heat and passion of the kiss building as her arms snaked around my neck. My hands rested on her waist verging on making their way to her butt, a place my hands liked to rest a lot these days. It was almost like they were drawn to her ass by a magnet.

We parted only after we had explored each other's mouths for several minutes. I could barely breath and she was visibly panting as well. Her forehead connected with mine softly and we just stared at each other, neither of us saying a word but also not needing to. We had already said everything we could possibly have to say.

Of course, it wasn't until this moment that we realized we weren't alone in the hallway. We turned to see Brooke and Lucas standing at the top of the stairs, Brooke grinning and Lucas with his mouth hanging open.

"Well," Savannah sighed moving to step out into the hallway and close her bedroom door, "We did say Christmas was bound to be eventful."

_**Another author's note: If I write Christmas Day from no one's point of view, and instead from a general sort of narrative point of view, would that work or if not, whose point of view would you like to see it from? Thanks in advance for your answers!**_


	35. Chapter 33: Christmas Eve, Part 2

_**Author's Note: I don't know why, but I felt compelled to write this chapter before I actually wrote Christmas Day. It made life a little more interesting. :) Um, so yeah, I promise Christmas Day is next but in the meantime, you have this. Thanks again to those of you who are reading and reviewing. I am so appreciative of you! HistoryNerd, we'll get there, I promise. :) LaffertyLvr09, I'm glad you don't hate Nathan and Savannah together. I am really trying to write them in a way that is likable, because I know that Nathan and Haley are like, everyone's favorite couple, and breaking them up I took a huge risk! But I love the way this story is going so far, and I'm glad you and so many others are sticking it out with me. Anyway! Enjoy! :)  
**_

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Christmas Eve Part Two**

**Haley POV**

"Shh… it's ok Jenny. Daddy's here."

I sat back, relaxing on my new couch, watching Jake bounce Jenny up and down next to the Christmas Tree. She started to calm down as she became mesmerized by the lights on the tree and soon she was again asleep against Jake's shoulder. It was really early in the morning and I assumed Jake didn't want her awake yet anyway.

"I'll be right back." Jake whispered to me and then disappeared into the newly decorated room we had dedicated to Jenny.

I looked out over the view of Hollywood far below my new home in the hills and sighed. Why didn't it feel like Christmas? Maybe because it was 75 degrees in Los Angeles which was not Christmas weather. Maybe because my family wasn't here. Maybe because my friends weren't here. Maybe it was just because I was miserable.

I had every reason not to be miserable. I was a signed recording artist with Sony Records. I had a brand new multi-million dollar home in the Hollywood hills. I had money the likes I had never had in my life since the recording contract I had signed paid me a large bonus just for signing it. I had Jake, but unfortunately for Jake, he was not Nathan.

"Hey." Jake returned from the other room and sat next to me on the couch, "What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm?" I turned to him having completely tuned out his question.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Jake repeated his question.

"The view is amazing from here." I lied, "I've never seen anything like it."

"It is beautiful." Jake said and then we both fell quiet again.

Holiday's were depressing, but then again, everything was depressing to me right now. I was trying to be happy, taking steps towards it, but so far, nothing was working. I tried to distract myself with Jake, but I felt guilty for it. Guilty for cheating on Nathan, even though we were separated, and guiltier for using Jake. He deserved better than me. He was a great guy and a great dad.

I did love having Jenny around. She was a beautiful little girl with a very happy demeanor. Every day she grew a little bit more and I was starting to understand what it meant to have someone depend on you completely. I think I would enjoy being a mother someday but getting to that point seemed to grow farther and farther away. I could only see myself with Nathan, and I knew that wasn't going to happen again.

"Haley…" Jake reached out and touched my hand softly, which spurred me to turn and look at him, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I lied again, "I'm just thinking too much. I feel so out of place in LA. Like a fish out of water."

He smiled and nodded.

"I know how you feel. It's so surreal, so different from Tree Hill. More impersonal."

"Yeah." I smiled back at him, "How'd I get so lucky to have you here with me?"

He laughed and scooted closer to me, pulling me into his arms so that my back was resting against his chest. Lately we had been cuddling like this a lot. I was trying to like it.

"I don't think I could ever live in LA without having a friend with me." I continued, not waiting for Jake to answer my previous question, "I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too." Jake kissed the top of my head and sighed, "It doesn't feel like Christmas does it?"

"No." I sighed too, "I was just thinking that a minute ago but I can't figure out why it doesn't feel like Christmas. Is it just because it's so warm or what?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because we still feel so weird being here. Maybe it's because we're still getting to know each other better." He squeezed me a little, "Maybe it's because you miss Nathan."

I turned to look up at him, frowning as that was the last thing in the world I had expected him to say. If he had known before that I was still trying to deal with my regret over losing Nathan, he hadn't said anything until this moment.

"I know you're a work in progress Haley." Jake smiled and leaned down to kiss me softly, "It's not like you're going to suddenly get over your husband. It's going to take awhile but I just want you to know that even if this dating thing we're trying doesn't work out, I'm still gonna be there for you ok? Letting me go on tour with your for a bit and asking me out here to live with you and work with you on your album… it's an honor. No matter what I will always be grateful."

"I want it to work Jake." I told him honestly, "I want to be able to date you and to stop missing Nathan it's just really hard. He's…"

"You don't even have to say it." Jake stopped me, "I understand. I've been there. First with Nikki, then with Peyton. Granted Nikki left me so maybe I was the Nathan in that situation…"

I know my face fell as soon as he said it and immediately he stopped, frowning at me.

"Sorry. Bad joke?"

"Maybe a little too soon."

"Sorry, but the point is, I know how it is to have left someone that you love and not be able to get them back. I left Peyton and now she's married and pregnant. She's moved on and that sucks for me but I'm trying to move on too. Maybe that's why you and I click. We're both recovering from leaving the people we love and trying to come to terms with not being able to get them back."

He had a point. I hadn't really thought about it before, but it had only been 7 or 8 months since Jake and Peyton had broken up. On one hand it felt good to know that maybe Jake understood what I was going through more than I realized. On the other hand Peyton had moved on with Xander, married with a baby on the way, only 7 or 8 months after breaking up with Jake. Would Nathan move on that quickly too?

"We just need to take it slow Jake. I'm not really ready to jump into another relationship and I don't want to hurt you." I was finally being honest with him. It felt good to tell him the truth.

"I understand. Slow is good." Jake kissed the top of my head again and squeezed me a little, "We can take it as slow as you want. It's new ground for both of us. We should tread lightly."

I nodded and this time, when we fell into silence, it was a comfortable one. There weren't things left unsaid hanging in the air.

"We should go to Tree Hill." Jake blurted out ten minutes later, after we had been sitting in silence staring out the window, "I mean, we don't want to be here for Christmas right? And the label doesn't need you to start recording or anything until after the holiday's. What's keeping us here?"

"Um… Nathan's in Tree Hill." I responded, "I highly doubt he wants to see me right now."

"We'll stay with my parents. We can have Christmas dinner with them, maybe see Lucas, and then come back here before anyone else even realizes we were there. Nathan wouldn't even have to know."

"They're all having Christmas dinner at Savannah's house. Everyone. Lucas, Nathan, their parents, friends… everyone. We wouldn't be able to see Lucas."

"We could see him during the day or something. Or even the day after. It doesn't have to be for Christmas dinner." Jake was trying hard to persuade me, "Seriously. You know you don't want to spend Christmas in this house in Los Angeles. You want to be in Tree Hill."

"I do but it's not a good idea Jake. It would cause way too many problems if anyone else found out we were there. Too much drama."

"Tree Hill always has drama. How much drama could we really cause?" I looked up at Jake to see his face scrunched up, clearly hoping he could talk his way into this, "Please?"

"When would we leave? Jenny's sleeping. It's a 7 hour flight and it's 7 am on Christmas Eve. The airport is going to be crazy. The flights are probably sold out."

"Well let's try. Come on." Jake moved from behind me and then helped me up from the couch, leading me through the house to where my computer was set up in my makeshift office.

He sat down at my desk and the computer sprang to life, me standing behind him while he began the search.

"Alright look, Delta has two tickets on a flight that leaves in three hours. As long as I carry Jenny in my lap she's free. If we book it and pack now, we can be on it." Jake looked up at me expectantly, "You wanna do it?"

I did want to go to Tree Hill for Christmas. If we left in three hours our flight would land around 8 pm Tree Hill time. That was plenty of time to get to Jake's parents house, relax, have dinner, get Jenny to bed and still be able to maybe see Lucas. It was tempting but…

"What about all of Jenny's presents? We can't take those to Tree Hill with us. There's too many." I countered.

"I will go buy her more. With the money I've saved up lately, the money I made playing on tour with you, I can afford to get her new presents and besides, she's 17 months old. What does she really care anyway? Haley… quit finding excuses. You want to go or not?"

I groaned and caved. If I was honest I hadn't put up that much of a fight. I really did want to spend Christmas in Tree Hill, despite the drama that may ensue. I had only been gone for a month and already I missed my home.

"Alright, they need a credit card to book the tickets. Can we use yours and I'll pay you back for my ticket?"

"I'll go get it." I ran to get my credit card from my purse and then returned, handing it to him so he could complete the purchasing process, "And don't worry about paying me back. This will be my Christmas present to you."

He smiled, reaching up for a second to hold my hand and bring it to his lips to place a soft kiss on my knuckles.

"This is going to be great. I promise."

Ten hours later, as we landed in the Tree Hill airport, I was doubting my decision making skills. This was a seriously bad idea. Really, really bad idea and I couldn't believe I had agreed to it. Was I insane? I had to be. I should not be in Tree Hill on Christmas Eve. It was going to be a disaster.

"I changed my mind." I said suddenly, stopping in my tracks as we walked through baggage claim, "I can't do this. I'm gonna go get a ticket back to LA."

"No." Jake took my hand in his free hand and urged me forward, "Come on. This is going to be good. You'll see. Look, there are my parents."

Jake's parents rushed to us, making a big fuss over Jenny, kissing her and Jake as if it had been forever since they had seen them. Jake finally introduced me and then they hugged me, thanking me for being so great to Jake and for coming for Christmas. They seemed like great people but that didn't change the pit that was growing in my stomach as we got closer to the doors leading out of the airport.

"So we decided we wouldn't have dinner until you got here. We started it a little later so it should still be hot when we get back to the house." Jake's mom said, "And then if you two want we'll watch Jenny and get her to bed so you can go visit your friends."

I looked up at Jake almost panicked but he smiled, wrapping his arm around me and squeezing me to his side.

"Maybe we'll do that. It might be fun right Haley?"

All that continued to run through my head was how bad an idea this was.

"Oh my God, that's Haley James!" I suddenly heard from somewhere to my left, "Haley! Haley!"

Suddenly I was swarmed by four teenage girls, probably about the same age as me, who pushed Jake and his parents to the side. They were all scrambling to get things from their bags and I was confused for a minute as to what all the fuss was about.

"We are huge fans. We've been to four of your concerts." One of the girls said, "I thought you didn't live in Tree Hill anymore."

"I uh…" I was still very confused by all of this, "I don't. I'm here visiting. Jake?"

"Oh my God, you're Jake Jagielski. You sang When the Stars Go Blue with Haley for the last leg of the tour. I love your voice." One of the girls switched her attention from me to Jake, "Can I have your autograph?"

"Can we get pictures with you guys?" One of the other girls asked me at the same time.

"Um, sure." Jake frowned over at me but began to laugh a little as he signed the paper that had been shoved towards him, "Haley?"

I finished signing the autographs that the girls wanted and then moved towards Jake. We posed with each girl individually for a total of four pictures and then they went running off, screaming happily that they had gotten our autographs and pictures.

"That was interesting." Jake laughed as we recovered from the mania, "You ok?"

"I'm good." I started to laugh too, "That was really weird."

"You guys seem to be doing well for yourselves." Jake's dad commented as we continued the walk through the airport. We had just reached the doors to the outside and it was almost lucky that those girls had distracted us. Now I didn't feel like hyperventilating at the idea of walking out of this airport.

"That's never really happened." Jake replied, "At least not to me. Haley?"

"Sometimes people at concerts asked for an autograph but never like that." I admitted, "That was surreal."

Before I knew it we had made it to the car and put our bags into the trunk. Jake strapped Jenny into the car seat his parents still had in the back of their car and then he and I sat on each side of her, his parents up front.

"Thank you for picking us up from the airport." I said to his parents as we drove, "I really appreciate it especially since we didn't give you much notice."

"Not a problem at all." His mom replied, "We haven't seen Jake and Jenny in so long we're just so glad that you guys are here at all."

"We're glad to be here." Jake said, reaching over Jenny to put his hand on my shoulder.

The rest of the car ride was filled with Jake and his parents talking about what had been going on in each other's lives. I stared out the window at the familiar sights and once again remembered where I was and all the reasons why I should not be here. Especially when we passed the apartments that Nathan and I used to live in, I felt my breath hitch and my heart began to ache.

"You ok?" Jake asked quietly, looking over at me.

I nodded, not wanting to share with him while we were in a car with his parents, and he must have understood because he didn't push it any farther.

I pretty much floated through the conversations during dinner and getting settled into Jake's parents house. My body was present but my mind wasn't really there. There were so many other things for me to think about. So many things that being in Tree Hill brought back to mind. Most of them had to do with Nathan.

"We didn't know if you two share a room or not…" Jake's mom flipped on the light in what I assumed was Jake's old bedroom. She smiled at us and Jake turned to me, his eyebrows raised.

"If not, we can easily make up the couch for Jake and let you sleep in here Haley." His mom continued, "Either way is fine."

"We can share a room." I said, smiling at her and then over at Jake, "Thank you Mrs. Jagielski."

"Really Haley, you can call me Stella."

"Thank you Stella."

His mom left us alone as Jake set a sleeping Jenny in the crib which was still set up near the bed. She stirred a little but finally seemed to get comfortable so Jake tucked a blanket around her and then went to sit on the bed sighing loudly.

"What?" I asked him, still standing near the door.

"Home." He said simply, "I forgot what it felt like."

I smiled at him and moved to sit next to him on the bed, resting my head on his shoulder, his hand immediately wrapping around my waist.

"It's nice huh? No matter how long you're away you come back to Tree Hill and it just feels right."

"Yeah." He nodded, "You should call Luke. See if he's up to seeing us tonight."

"Um… actually, I was thinking maybe we could just see Luke tomorrow or something. I thought maybe tonight we could just take a drive, the two of us. Maybe go to the river court? I bet you haven't been there in a really long time."

"That is true." Jake placed his finger under my chin, turning my head up to look at him as he placed a very delicate kiss on my lips, "You're gonna be ok. I know it."

I nodded and then kissed him again, this kiss a little less delicate but still soft.

"Let's just take a ride."

We turned out the light in the bedroom as we moved out of the room, leaving a nightlight on for Jenny just in case. Jake told his parents where we were going and then the two of us headed out to his parents car and got in, Jake driving as we headed out into the town.

We drove through downtown, looking at Karen's Café which was dark at this time of night on Christmas Eve. I looked at my watch and realized it was now after 10 pm. Chances were everything was going to be closed now.

"Ah, Tree Hill High School." Jake pulled into the empty parking lot and laughed, "Miss it?"

"Yes." I admitted, "You know me. I'm a dork Jake. I like school."

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Jake laughed, "Well I don't miss it. Let's go to the river court."

We headed across the bridge to the river court and I was excited to see it again until I saw that there were other people there.

"Oh Jake, no. We can't do this." I started to reach for the wheel instinctively to make him turn around, "Jake seriously."

"Stop." Jake smacked my hand away lightly and stopped the car, just feet behind where the rest of the cars were parked, "Um, well, they've seen us now. I know Lucas recognizes my car."

Everyone on the court was staring in our direction and I hoped for the love of God they couldn't actually see us.

"Turn around Jake. We cannot go over there."

"We have to. I have to at least. Lucas knows this is my car."

I groaned loudly as he turned off the car and I slunk low in my seat, hoping still that no one had seen me.

"We can either do this together or you can try to hide, but more than likely, since I'm pretty sure they all know we're dating, they'll figure you came with me."

"Why do they all know we're dating?" I suddenly freaked out a little, feeling mortified.

"Because I called Savannah and asked her opinion on it before we started. I told her we had slept together and you told Lucas, so chances are the news has spread."

Everyone on the court was still staring and at this point I figured it was inevitable. I rolled my eyes and reached for the car door, using the handle to swing open my door so that Jake and I could step out of the car at the same time.

As soon as we did, every sound of the night seemed to stop.

Lucas was the first to approach us, and he did so slowly as if he wasn't sure he was really seeing what he was seeing.

"Oh my God." Lucas grabbed me and pulled me into his arms, enveloping me in the strongest hug I had ever felt in my life, "What are you doing here?"

"Last minute decision to be home for Christmas." Jake answered for me. I wouldn't have been able to answer even if I had tried. Lucas was squeezing the life out of me.

"Luke, air please." I croaked and he jumped back immediately.

"Sorry." Lucas smiled at me, "I'm so glad you're here. I…"

My eyes connected with Nathan's suddenly and I ceased to hear Lucas speaking. He moved to say hi to Jake and although the movement registered in my head, I couldn't tear my gaze away from Nathan's. He was just standing there, staring at me.

"Hey guys!" Savannah was the next to greet us, standing in front of me, breaking the connection between me and Nathan, "What are you doing here? I thought you would be in LA already."

"We have a house there." I replied, the first real words I had spoken since we had stepped out of the car, "We just didn't feel like it was really Christmas so we came here instead."

Savannah hugged me and as she did whispered in my ear.

"You ok?"

It still surprised me that she, being Nathan's best friend, would care if I was ok or not. More than anything else, I wished I had seen how nice she was before my jealousy had destroyed my marriage.

"Maybe." I responded as she moved away from me again and went to say hi to Jake.

"Well, come on. You're here now. You may as well brave everyone else." Lucas slung his arm over my shoulders and led me up towards the court.

By this time Nathan had headed for the opposite side of the court, clearly choosing to ignore me as the best option to deal with my presence. Peyton sitting with Xander and Mouth at the picnic table didn't get up to greet me either. Mouth, Skillz, Bevin and even Tim came over to see me, greeting me and Jake happily, but the people I wanted to acknowledge my presence ignored me. Peyton and Nathan seemed intent to forget I was there.

"Hey, where's Brooke and Camille?" I asked, suddenly realizing there was someone missing from all of this.

"Brooke is in California. Camille is in Chapel Hill." Lucas replied, "Brooke's parents summoned her for the holiday's. She left a couple hours ago. Camille will be back tomorrow."

"That's funny." Jake laughed, "We got here a couple hours ago."

"How long are you staying?" Savannah asked, glancing back to the court where Nathan was still shooting the ball around by himself.

"Uh, we haven't booked our flight home yet." Jake answered for us, "Maybe a couple of days, right Haley?"

I nodded but I was still watching Nathan. I really wanted him to say something, anything, as long as he admitted we were actually here.

Slowly but surely we made our way over to the picnic table where Peyton and Xander still sat, Xander's arm around Peyton who was leaning against him. I could see them talking in hushed tones and I knew this was bound to be awkward. Not only was I positive Peyton was mad at me for leaving and never calling to talk to her, but with Jake and Xander meeting for the first time, there was an added element of weird.

"Hey Peyton." I made the first move towards her and she did look my way, "Hi Xander."

"Hi Haley." Xander replied but Peyton didn't speak. She just shook her head, rolled her eyes, and turned the other way, looking back at Nathan who wasn't alone anymore. Skillz, Bevin, and Tim had all returned to the game.

"Xander, this is Jake." Savannah finally broke the extreme ice and introduced her brother to Jake, "Jake, this is my brother Xander."

"Nice to meet you." Jake reached for my hand which I let him hold as he used his other one to shake Xander's hands.

"You too." Xander sort of looked him up and down as if measuring him up but then softened and smiled at him. He had to realize that Jake was no longer his competition.

"No hi for me Peyton?" Jake tried to get Peyton's attention and she turned to look at him, rolling her eyes at him just as she had me. For him though, she actually spoke.

"No, there is no hi for you Jake. There would have been a hi for you had you not shown up with Haley on Christmas Eve knowing that it would effect the people who rightfully deserve to be enjoying the holiday right now." Peyton glared at me and I realized she wasn't just upset, she was pissed at me, "I have tried everything to see Haley's side of this whole ordeal, but it's just insensitive for you two to show up here like this. You have no right."

She spoke the last line at me and I could feel my face falling. I hated being the subject of anyone's anger, no matter how much I deserved it.

"Peyt…" Xander put his hand on Peyton's leg and leaned over to whisper something to her. She rolled her eyes again as he spoke but nodded and then sighed.

"Sorry Jake." She apologized to him but not to me, "I shouldn't have taken that out on you."

She stood and gave him a hug, narrowly avoiding hitting me since I was standing so close to him at the time.

"It's good to see you." She told him and then returned to her seat next to Xander and became quiet again.

"Jake, you want in on the game?" Savannah broke the silence a few moments later, "If we can convince Xander or Mouth to play we'll have even teams. And if not, you can just be on Luke's team since they're getting their asses handed to them."

"Shut up!" Lucas pushed her slightly and they broke into laughing, "How about it Jake?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

"I'll play." Xander joined them and they all headed out onto the court, leaving me with Peyton and Mouth at the picnic table.

"Peyton I…"

"Don't." Peyton said simply, "I cannot believe you showed up here."

"I wasn't trying to upset anyone Peyton." I pleaded with her, "Seriously, I wasn't going to come but Jake really wanted to be in Tree Hill for Christmas and then after dinner we decided to go for a ride. I tried to get him to leave here when I realized you were all here but he wouldn't and then… I really did not want to upset anyone."

"Whatever." Peyton sighed, "I've been rationalizing everything since you left. Trying to sort of defend you for why you would have left but showing up here, like this is inconsiderate. Nathan's doing ok again and you just… whatever. I'm sure you don't even care."

"No, I do care. I don't want to mess anything up for him. I really don't."

"It's fine Haley. Let's just watch the game."

I sighed, knowing that whatever I said right now wouldn't matter. When Peyton was pissed there wasn't really anything you could say to change her mind.

I decided to take her advice, watching the game instead of trying to talk. It seemed to be a very friendly game, and yet still competitive as it always was with people who knew how to play the game well. The teams were Lucas, Skillz, Bevin and Jake versus Savannah, Nathan, Tim and Xander. They seemed happy playing the game and at least watching, I felt like I was participating in a tiny sliver of Nathan's life, sort of like a voyeur but without being weird.

After an hour of sitting in silence with Peyton and Mouth at the table, Peyton stood, wrapping her arms around herself and yelling out to Xander before they could pass the ball in again.

"Hey baby! I'm freezing. Can we go?"

The game stopped immediately so that Xander could step out but they all came over to say their goodbyes. Jake joined me and we watched as what appeared to be this extremely tight knit group of friends say goodnight to each other, most of them vowing to see each other later and it was then I remembered that they were all having Christmas dinner together. They would all be at Savannah's house for that.

"I should get going too." Lucas sighed, looking over at me and Jake, "Where are you guys staying?"

"With my parents." Jake replied and then looked at me, "If you wanted to go with Luke to see Karen and stay there tonight though, you could."

"My mom's with Larry tonight actually and I'm staying over there too, weirdly, in Peyton's old room." Lucas laughed, "You could totally come with me though Hales. I'm sure my mom would love to see you."

"Maybe tomorrow night." I looked up at Jake and he smiled at me, "Christmas with Jenny is kind of important. We were able to bring some of her presents with us so I want to see her open them."

I looked back at Lucas in time to see Nathan standing behind him and glaring at us, then motioning to Savannah that he was gonna go back to the court and once again ignoring me.

"Tomorrow night then." Lucas hugged me, "I'm glad you're here Haley. You too Jake."

He headed off to his car, Mouth following since Lucas was going to give him a ride home. Skillz and Bevin said quick goodbyes to us and then they too headed off to their car. Tim was the next one to go which finally just left Savannah standing with us and the sound of the basketball in the background with Nathan on the court.

"So, I would invite you to this shindig we're having at my house tomorrow but…" Savannah looked over her shoulder at Nathan and sighed, "It would be too weird."

"We understand." I told her, giving her a hug as I believed Jake and I would be the next to leave, "Tell him I said hi at least ok?"

Savannah nodded and smiled at me, moving to give Jake a hug.

"Don't leave town without saying bye." She called out to us as she headed back to the court leaving Jake and I as we headed for the car.

"We won't." Jake called back.

We closed the car doors as we sat inside the car and we just sat for a minute, watching Savannah and Nathan fall into an easy rhythm on the court. It seemed as soon as they figured we were gone, Nathan began to smile again, laughing with her as they continued their own one on one game.

Jake turned on the car and looked over at me, sighing.

"I now see exactly why you would have thought they were cheating." He said simply, "Were they like that before?"

"Yep." I sighed too, "Exactly the same."

Just as I spoke Nathan grabbed Savannah around the waist and pulled her to him, kissing her hard on the lips as she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. My jaw dropped open and my heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces all over again.

"Except for that." I mumbled.

As quickly as he could Jake pulled the car away from the river court and out onto the road again, directing us towards his parents house. We rode in silence but even if he had spoken, I don't think I would have been able to say anything back.

When we had parked the car in the driveway of his parent's house again, he turned off the ignition and we continued to sit in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Jake broke the silence.

"They slept together." He said with a sigh, "When I called to ask Savannah what she thought of you and I dating, she told me they had slept together, her and Nathan, the same night you and I did for the first time. I would have told you Haley but she told me it had only happened once and wasn't going to happen again. I had no idea that we would have seen that tonight. I…"

"It's not your fault Jake." I stopped him before he could continue, "I told her to date him. Remember? When she and Lucas came to see us in Chapel Hill, I gave her my permission. I'm not really surprised she took me up on it. They're… I don't know. If you knew them as friends before, the way they knew each other for mere hours and were already best friends. The way they almost read each other's minds. It was crazy weird Jake and instead of appreciating the bond they shared, I got jealous. I didn't want her to have that bond with him if I couldn't and I didn't. We were in love and happily married but we didn't have what they had. I let it get the best of me."

"One day you're going to have to forgive yourself." Jake said simply, turning to me looking me directly in the eyes. "Everything happens for a reason Haley and don't get mad at me for saying this but just maybe, this is how it was supposed to be. Maybe you were meant to be a superstar and you weren't going to get that being married to Nathan."

I contemplated what he said. I didn't want to think that he was right but his statement did land in the realm of possibility. If it was true what everyone said, that everything did happen for a reason, then maybe what had happened with my relationship with Nathan was for a reason. Maybe it was just something we had to go through to get together later in life. Maybe we would never be together again. I wouldn't be able to know for sure until the future became the present.

"Let's go inside." I said simply, reaching over and placing my hand on Jake's knee, "This night has tired me out."

He nodded and we both got out of the car, heading for the house. The living room was bathed only in the light of the Christmas lights sparkling on the tree in the corner. It was enough to light our path to our bedroom which we entered easily, closing the door quietly behind us.

The first thing I noticed was that Jenny was no longer in her crib.

"My parents must have taken her to their room." Jake said, knowing what I was thinking as I glanced at the empty crib.

"Oh." I turned to him and nodded.

Within a few minutes we had both changed into pajamas, mine a simple t-shirt and flannel pants. Jake's were just the flannel pants. We climbed into the bed together and as we did on the occasional night we did sleep in the same bed he wrapped his arms around me and brushed the hair off of my neck to place small kiss just below my ear.

"Goodnight Haley." He whispered softly.

I closed my eyes, attempting to turn off my brain so that I could relax. I kept seeing the kiss between Savannah and Nathan in my head. It was so passionate. So happy. Like they had done it a million times.

I wondered if Savannah had lied to Jake. Well, obviously she hadn't told him the whole truth because she swore it was a one time deal, her and Nathan sleeping together, and from what I saw, I would doubt that. Jake and I had only had sex once. I knew what two people who had only had sex once looked like and Savannah and Nathan definitely were not those people.

I sighed, willing myself silently to really stop thinking about this. I had to stop thinking about it or I would go crazy. I had to turn my brain off. I needed a distraction.

In his arms I turned to look at Jake, his brown eyes sort of sparkling, a reflection from the light filtering in through the window. He seemed to stare so deep into my eyes that I felt he could read my soul. I wanted to be able to read his but I hadn't figured out how yet. I wanted to figure out how.

"Kiss me." I whispered to him, placing my hand on his cheek, guiding his lips to mine where he had no choice but to connect.

It started slowly, our lips joining lightly, only the pressure of a feather being applied. His hand on my waist tightened, pressing my body into his and the passion began to grow. For a minute there were only kisses but the mood started to shift and soon I found his body on top of mine, his weight bearing down on me and his hands exploring places they hadn't been before.

If I was honest they probably could have been to the places they were going now, but I didn't remember our first time together very well. I had been extremely drunk, not like now. I hadn't known what I was doing. Now I knew exactly what I was getting into.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, his body hovered above mine, ready to consummate our newfound relationship for the second time, "We don't have to do this."

I couldn't make myself say yes. I wanted to say I was sure but the words wouldn't leave my mouth. I had to show him instead.

His lips came crashing down onto mine, my fingers laced through the hair on the back of his head and in one swift movement he was inside me. My back arched involuntarily and we both moaned. His movements in and out of me heightened my senses. The world suddenly smelled better, felt better, looked better.

"Jake…" The sound of his name rolling off my lips seemed to spur him on. He moved faster, harder, and with a purpose, "Mmm… Jake."

The room was beginning to spin as my release built and I could feel his too. We were both close, almost as if on the edge of a cliff, we just needed to jump. I wanted to say something. I wanted to find the perfect words to bring him to the edge, the words that would spur him to jump with me, but my brain had effectively been deactivated. I couldn't think. I didn't want to think.

I started to scream as I came, forgetting we were in his parent's house until he covered my mouth with his and inhaled my scream instead. It turned out he had jumped with me.

A few minutes later, as we lay in bed, his arm wrapped around my waist and his lips pressed against my naked shoulder I sighed. My brain began to work again but this time, instead of remembering what I had seen at the river court earlier, my thoughts turned to Jake. Just as I had said to myself earlier, he was my distraction and while I had enjoyed myself just now, I again felt bad for using him. I used him as my distraction.

"Thank you." Jake mumbled, placing one last kiss against my earlobe, "Merry Christmas."

I felt him drift into sleep and willed myself to go the same way. My last thought before sleep took over was something I may have to debate with myself later.

You can't use someone who isn't willing to be used.

_**Author's Note part two: I'm kind of liking writing these little end blurbs. :) Anyway, I know I usually warn you ahead of time that there will be sex in the chapter, but I sort of wanted it to be a surprise this time, so that's why I didn't say anything before. Hope no one was offended. It wasn't too graphic. :) Thanking you all for reviews in advance! **_


	36. Chapter 34: Christmas Day

**_Author's Note: So sorry it has taken forever for this chapter. I lost a bit of my inspiration, started writing another story, found my inspiration, lost it again... It's been rough, but I finally think I got this chapter where I wanted it to be. I hope you all like it. It's kinda long but it includes everything I wanted it to. There is a pretty GRAPHIC SEX SCENE at the end, so please, if you are offended by that type of stuff, don't read it! Other than that, I would really really appreciate any reviews you feel like giving me. Thanks so much! Enjoy! :)_**

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Christmas Day**

**General POV**

At 4 am, the Carter household was silent and still, the residents and visitors all sleeping soundly in their own rooms. Christmas had officially begun just 4 hours earlier and yet no one was yet aware of it.

Deacon Carter wore ear plugs so that if his children were having sex in the other rooms he could pretend to know nothing.

Mariah Carter snuggled closer to her Greek god Theo, content to rest in his arms, a smile playing on her lips even in sleep.

Nathan Scott was frowning, as if he were having a dream which angered him. The truth was he was dreaming, but he wasn't angry. He saw only her eyes. Eyes which confused him, haunted him… he tossed and turned, trying to erase the eyes from his mind but they wouldn't go away.

Savannah Carter sighed in her sleep. She too was having a dream. If she had to describe it, it wouldn't have been a bad dream, but it wasn't a good dream either. It was indifferent. It was peaceful. It was staring at her.

Savannah's eyes fluttered open for a second and her heart stopped when someone else's eyes met her own. She was terrified for a moment and then she recognized him, and she was able to breath again.

"Jesus Christ Bryan!" Savannah hit him in the chest as she sat up and turned on her bedside lamp, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." Bryan smiled at her, contemplating her early morning hairdo as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and peered at the clock sitting next to her, "It's 4... AM."

"What are you doing here?" Savannah yawned and stretched, finally taking a good look at the man who was laying in her bed, "You're not supposed to be here until like… I don't know. Later."

"I came to give you your Christmas present." He set a small rectangular wrapped box in front of her, "I wanted it to just be us when you opened it and I had a feeling we wouldn't get a moment alone later so I came early. I have to drive back before anyone realizes I'm gone so, you should open that."

Savannah contemplated the box and Bryan, raising her eyebrow but nodding slowly as she began to unwrap it. She took her time, careful not to tear the wrapping paper. Normally she would have torn it to shreds but she knew if she took her time, it would drive Bryan crazy.

"You are killing me." Bryan groaned and she smiled because she knew she would be.

She pulled the wrapping paper off the box finally and folded it, laying it on the bed next to her and then leisurely undid the fastening of the box and opened the top to peer inside. She saw something wrapped in bubble wrap so she pulled it out carefully and when she finally removed the last piece of bubbled wrapping paper, she gasped.

The blown glass art piece wasn't amazing or particularly pretty. It was nice, like a souvenir you pick up in a city you have never been to before. A piece that will remind you of the feelings you experienced when you bought it. Remind you of the things you did on your vacation. Of the people you were spending your time with.

This one was a piece of mirror on top of which was a blown glass palm tree and a blown glass dolphin which was jumping over her name, hand blown glass standing up across the mirror.

But again, it wasn't the beauty of the piece that had made Savannah gasp. It was what the piece reminded her of. The feelings she had experienced several years earlier, when she had seen it for the first time. The things she had done on her vacation. The person she had been spending her time with.

"I can't believe you remembered." She said quietly, turning to Bryan and smiling, "It was so long ago."

"I don't forget anything about you Savannah Mercedes Carter." Bryan sat up and moved closer to her, brushing a stray piece of her hair from her face before he leaned in and kissed her softly, "Sea World San Diego, June 14th. You were 15 years old and completely in love with me."

"Conceited much?" Savannah teased him but she sat back with a grin, waiting for him to continue the story.

"We stopped at one of those little stands they have everywhere in Sea World and we stood there for at least twenty minutes, just watching the person working there who was blowing glass into something that would end up beautiful. You were so mesmerized that you didn't even realize, right next to you on the counter was a hand blown piece of art, just like the one you are holding in your hand now, with your name on it, literally."

"And I couldn't believe that they had my name." Savannah continued for a second, "No one ever had my name, not spelled the right way or at least not custom made, like this was."

"So we bought it and you carried it around with us for the rest of the day, content, happy, and I'll remind you again, completely in love."

Savannah giggled and nodded.

"But when we got home and you opened up the box to place it on your dresser, you found it had broken on the way home. The S had toppled and a leaf from the palm tree had broken off. You were crushed and despite me assuring you that we could order another one, it didn't matter. You didn't want it because it wasn't the same."

They sat, staring at each other in the silence, grinning. Savannah clutched her new piece of art like it was the last gift she would ever receive.

"No one has history like we do." Bryan said quietly, placing another soft kiss on her lips, "I love you Savannah."

His words seemed to spur Savannah from her bliss and her smile fell as she placed the sculpture carefully on her bedside table before turning to Bryan and looking him straight in the eye, contemplating him, studying him.

"I don't think we can see each other anymore." She said definitively.

Bryan leaned away from her a little, as if her words had burned him and he needed to take a step back. His eyes narrowed, his features clouding over with an emotion somewhere between fear and anger.

"I tell you that I love you and you break up with me?"

"Bryan I…" Savannah struggled with her words and she groaned, "I love you too. I do. I have always loved you, for as long as I can remember. You are a huge part of my life but this non-exclusive thing we have going here, it doesn't work for me."

Savannah's thoughts floated back to her birthday for a minute and she felt the sting of him rejecting her advances so that he could get sleep for his date the next day. She could handle him seeing other people when she wasn't around, as long as it wasn't flaunted in front of her. She was ok with it when she didn't have to hear about it. She couldn't handle it when it came in the way of them being together.

"You…" Bryan seemed at a loss for words, and he stuttered for a minute before taking a deep breath and seemingly formulating his words, "Savannah, you knew when we started this it was going to be non-exclusive. You agreed to it. You sort of forced it. I thought anything was better than nothing."

"It is. I did. I agreed to it and I know that I have no right to decide differently now but, my birthday Bryan? You rejected me on my birthday so that you could make sure you were rested for your date the next day. Do you have any idea how badly that hurt me?"

"We agreed to date other people. Was I supposed to lie to you that night? I was being honest. It's not like you didn't know I was dating." Bryan was truly exasperated now and he was trying not to raise his voice but it was becoming harder every second.

"Honestly, I didn't know you were dating Bry! I didn't know! I mean, we said we would date other people because that's what non-exclusive means, but I wasn't dating anyone else at the time. Just because we said we could date other people, I didn't know you actually were."

"But you…" Bryan groaned, "I'm sorry. What do you want me to say Savannah? I didn't mean to hurt you ok? I, I just figured that since we had agreed to… we said that it was ok if we dated other people, I didn't realize that if I actually told you I was you were going to break up with me."

"Is it really breaking up if we're only together non-exclusively?" Savannah tried to laugh but Bryan didn't find it funny in any way.

"Fine." He removed himself from her bed and made a production of putting his jacket and shoes on, "Merry fucking Christmas."

"Bryan, please don't be like that." Savannah threw back the covers and slipped out of bed too, moving to where he was sitting and standing in front of him, her finger resting underneath his chin applying light pressure so he was forced to look up at her, "I'm sorry too. Maybe I'm overreacting. You're right. We did agree to date other people and… I'm sort of seeing someone else too so you're right and I have no right to end this just for you doing something that we had agreed to do in the first place."

"You're seeing someone else?" Bryan gulped and Savannah spotted a flash of jealousy in his eyes before he looked away, "You're right. That hurts."

"See…" Savannah sat on the bed next to him and sighed, placing her hand on his knee, "I'm sorry. Bryan, I'm really sorry. I didn't want to hurt you and I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

Bryan nodded but he wouldn't look at her anymore. His head was bowed and his breathing was uneven.

"Can we just pretend for today?" Bryan asked quietly, "My parents they… they are really excited that we're back together and I just don't want to disappoint them on Christmas. I know it's not gonna be easy but just pretend for one more day to love me?"

"Hey." Savannah lifted his head again to make him look at her, "I never have to pretend to love you. I always love you."

"I love you." Bryan leaned in and kissed Savannah, his kisses searching her mouth as if he was certain he'd never get the chance to kiss her again and wanted to get every last kiss in that he could.

They parted and sat in silence. Savannah stared at Bryan and he stared at the ground. He knew he needed to leave to get back to Chapel Hill but he was scared that if he left this room it would be true. He wouldn't have her anymore.

"We could be exclusive." Bryan blurted suddenly, looking up and directly into Savannah's eyes, "We could be exclusive. That's the problem right? It hurts you to know I'm dating and it hurts me that you're dating so, we stop dating and it's just us. I know I didn't want it before but now…"

"Stop." Savannah put a finger to Bryan's lips and shook her head, "No. I can't do that."

"Then we stay non-exclusive and we don't tell each other about dating. I mean, that's what hurt you right? I told you I had a date and you were hurt because it came in the way of us. And I didn't realize how that would feel until you told me you're dating someone too and so I get it but if we don't tell each other, problem solved. We just make sure that we don't let dating others get in the way of dating each other. It can work."

"Bryan." Savannah groaned and turned away from him, "Please stop. This is hard enough."

"Savannah please, I can't lose you right now. I was stupid to give you up in the first place and I won't do it again." He pulled her into his arms and this time he forced her to look at him, "Please?"

If she was honest with herself, she knew she was going to cave, probably before the conversation had even started. She always caved when it came to Bryan. She could go into it 100 determined to stand her ground but when he looked at her with his gorgeous blue eyes and begged her like he was begging her now, she always caved.

"I have your present in my closet. One of your presents anyway. Hold on a second."

Savannah slipped from his grasp and went into her closet, returning with an unwrapped manila envelope with his name scrawled across the top of it. He frowned at her but she smiled and spurred him to open it.

"I didn't have time to frame them but I thought you would like them."

He pulled three 8x10 photograph's from the envelope and his mouth fell open. In the first she stood as if she had been superimposed on a snowy rooftop, wearing nothing but a black bra, black panties, black stiletto heels and a fur mini-coat. She looked like a superhero, standing there, tanned and beautiful. Her super power must have been the art of resisting the cold.

"Are these from a professional photo shoot?" Bryan asked as he turned to the next picture, the same outfit popping out at him. This time she stood with one leg up on a nearby chair, one hand on her hip. All attitude and legs.

"Yeah." Savannah nodded, "My last photo shoot. I just got the proofs a couple days ago. I made copies so that I can obviously keep them for my portfolio but you could have copies too."

"Your other boyfriend get copies?" Bryan joked and Savannah sighed.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about dating other people."

"So you're agreeing not to dump me?"

"You knew I would." Savannah rolled her eyes and pointed to the pictures, "There's one more."

Bryan switched to the last picture and immediately began to cough, turning away from it as he began to choke.

"Bryan." Savannah tried to pat his back, not sure what had caused the sudden coughing fit, "You ok? Breathe."

After a second Bryan took a deep breath an stopped coughing, closing his eyes for a second before he dared to look at the last picture again.

"Jesus…" He hissed, staring at the image in front of him, "That took my breath away."

"Coughing?" Savannah frowned, clearly confused as Bryan began to laugh.

"No, the picture." He held up the last print. In it she was wearing the same outfit as before, the hood of the jacket now down and her hair spread out around her as she lay flat on a plush white carpet, her eyes closed as if she were sleeping, "I'm blowing this up to like, I don't know, wall size, framing it, and putting it in my house. I don't know where yet, but somewhere that I can show every person who walks in how crazy beautiful you are."

"Please don't." Savannah laughed, "God, that would be embarrassing. I'm practically naked in these pictures. I gave them to you for your viewing pleasure. Not everyone else's."

"Well they are going in your portfolio too Savannah. It's not like other people won't see them." Bryan smiled at her and set the photos on the bed behind him, "Come here."

He pulled her onto his lap and placed quick kisses along her collarbone and shoulder, smiling at her when she giggled.

"Thank you for the pictures. I will make sure to masturbate when I get home and thank you for not breaking up with me because if you had, I might have cried. I was debating it towards the end there. Tears or no tears? That was the question."

"You're retarded." Savannah rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning her head back to rest on Bryan's shoulder, "Are we gonna be ok you think?"

Bryan contemplated the question and finally, after a bit of thought, nodded.

"I think so." He said softly, letting his head fall forward to rest on her shoulder, "All we can do is try right?"

"Right."

Savannah moved off of Bryan's lap and let him stand, watching him collect the pictures from the bed and stash them back in his envelope before turning to her, hugging her tight and placing one last long lingering kiss on her lips.

"I'll see you later."

"I'll be here."

When Bryan was gone, Savannah sighed and fell back into bed, laying on her side and staring at the present he had brought for her. She smiled, again remembering the day they had spent at Sea World three years earlier. She was just about to turn off the light and go back to sleep when there was a very soft knock on her bedroom door. She frowned, wondering if Bryan had forgotten something, but when the door opened Nathan stood there instead.

"You too?" Savannah smiled at him, "I'm popular this morning."

Nathan frowned at her, closing the door behind him and moving closer to her bed. He didn't have to voice his question. Savannah knew what he wanted to say.

"Bryan was just here." Savannah laughed and patted the bed next to her, "Come on."

"Bryan was here and yet you're clothed. Interesting." Nathan commented as he climbed into the bed.

"Ha ha, very funny." Savannah glared at him and wrinkled her nose, "He came to give me my Christmas present and I tried to break up with him."

"Tried? Not successful?" Nathan questioned.

"Not successful." Savannah replied, "I have this weakness for him. He could tell me to jump off a cliff and I would know with all my heart that I shouldn't do it and it would be stupid to do it and I would say no."

Savannah turned to look Nathan straight in the eyes, establishing what she believed to be an accurate representation of how Bryan looked at her when he wanted something.

"And then he'd look at me, his freakin' gorgeous baby blue eyes staring straight into my soul, and he'd go 'Please?' and I'd jump right off the edge of that cliff." Savannah groaned, turning away from Nathan and letting her head fall backwards against the headboard, "I'm so stupid."

"You are not stupid." Nathan grabbed her arm and pulled her down under the covers with him, wrapping his arms around her so she was forced to lay with half of her body on top of his, her head resting on his bare chest as he ran his fingers through her hair, "You love him right?"

Savannah took a few minutes to debate her answer. She knew the truthful answer was yes. She did, even though her common sense told her it wasn't smart to love him. The answer she wanted to tell Nathan was no, but she didn't ever lie to Nathan, so she couldn't start now.

"Yeah." She sighed, "I do. I'm stupid for loving him because I know he's just gonna shatter my heart like he did last time but I love him and as previously illustrated, I'm a complete sucker for doing whatever he wants me to."

"Hmm…" Nathan contemplated that, "Might be nice to have that kind of power over you. I can definitely see the perks. I have baby blue eyes. Do I have that power?"

Savannah grinned, moving her head to look up and into Nathan's eyes. He smiled back at her and for a second they just stared at each other.

"Will you jump out the window with me?" He asked quietly and although she began to laugh, eventually Savannah nodded.

"Yes Nathan Scott, I will jump out the window with you."

Nathan laughed with her.

"Yes!" He pretended to celebrate, "I have the power!"

"You're a dork." Savannah went back to laying with her head on his chest and became quiet as she fell into thought.

Nathan let his fingers travel across the small piece of exposed flesh at the small of her back as they just lay there in silence, both of them thinking about the things they thought of often. The future, their friendship, their relationships with others.

"What'd you come in here for?" Savannah asked a few minutes later, her hand tracing circles on his abs lazily, "Just to cuddle?"

"Actually, I was going to see if you would go downstairs with me so you and I can open presents together, before everyone else wakes up." Nathan replied, "But I'm kind of liking this cuddling thing so I assume we can always just open presents later."

"Yeah…" Savannah's eyes began to close and she found herself beginning to drift back to sleep, "It's too early."

Nathan smiled down at her, knowing she was falling asleep. He moved a little bit and was just able to reach the lamp to turn it out, careful not to disturb Savannah as her breathing began to even out.

With Savannah asleep, the darkness and quiet began to surround Nathan, and he found himself too drifting to sleep. In her arms his dreams were not haunted by the same eyes from earlier. His smile stayed on his lips as he began to dream again. No, this time he was not haunted by chocolate brown eyes. They had been replaced with the blue eyes of an angel. His beautiful, sleeping angel.

A few miles away, Haley laid awake, staring at the wall in front of her, not able to go back to sleep. She had woken up to a random picture message from Ben of him with a girl she didn't recognize in a bar. The accompanying message said "Merry Christmas from Tokyo." She had done the math in her head and realized in Tokyo it was already almost 6 pm even though it was only 4:30 am in Tree Hill.

She had quickly sent him a text back that said Merry Christmas but since then, had not been able to drift back to sleep.

Jake slept soundly next to her, not stirring even when her phone had loudly alerted her to the picture message. She knew that she should probably get up since she was awake but she didn't want to. Getting up meant that the day would have officially begun.

She wondered what Nathan was doing at that moment. Was he awake? Was he asleep? Was he alone? She doubted the answer to her last question was yes. After seeing what she had seen at the river court the night before, she doubted he spent any of his nights alone anymore.

Not wanting to think about Nathan anymore, she decided it was definitely time to get up. She wasn't sure what she would do but she knew she couldn't just lay in bed thinking anymore.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked, clearly still half asleep as he slightly opened his eyes when Haley left the bed.

"I don't know." Haley answered honestly, "I can't sleep. I thought I'd go for a walk or something."

"Alone?" Jake frowned. Even though Tree Hill was small, it wasn't without it's crime. He worried that Haley walking alone might be detrimental to her safety, "What time is it?"

"Probably about 5 am." Haley replied without looking at the clock as she slipped her jeans over her body, "Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Jake wanted to protect her but he also wanted to sleep, "I'll go with you if you want me to."

"No." Haley smiled as he clearly did not want to get out of bed. She leaned over the bed and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, "Sleep. I'll be back in a little while."

Once Haley had slipped on her t-shirt and sweater over it she quietly opened and closed Jake's bedroom door, tiptoed through the house, and then slipped out the front door unnoticed. She still didn't know where she was going to walk but at least she was out of the house, out of that bed, and out of her thoughts.

She walked for awhile, no specific aim for where she was going, just walking in a general direction, so it surprised her when she ended up standing in front of the Sawyer residence, currently housing Larry Sawyer, Karen Roe, and Lucas Scott. She smiled, wondering if they actually locked the door now that Peyton didn't live there.

Not wanting to risk anything, Haley pulled out her cell phone and dialed Lucas, waiting for him to answer as she stared up at the window where she knew he would be.

"Haley?" Lucas answered sleepily, "You ok?"

"Yeah." Haley replied nonchalantly, "I'm outside. Can you let me in?"

She saw him open the curtains and peer down at her curiously then closed them as he began to laugh.

"Yeah, hold on. I'll be down in a second."

Haley hung up her phone and approached the front door, shuffling back and forth from one foot to the other, just now realizing how cold it was outside. She couldn't feel her face anymore.

"Hey you." Lucas opened the front door and ushered her inside, closing the door as soon as she was safely inside. He looked at her, peering into her eyes as he frowned at her, "You sure you're ok?"

"I'm cold." Haley laughed as she shivered, "Can we go climb under a blanket somewhere?"

Lucas smiled and nodded, leading her upstairs to Peyton's old room, which Haley noticed hadn't really changed. The walls were the same dark red. The bed was still in the middle of the room and Haley noticed even the webcam was still attached to the computer in the closet. She also noticed it wasn't on.

The records had disappeared from the room, as had the artwork covering the walls. It was weird for Haley to think that Peyton wouldn't live in this room ever again. It was Peyton's room in Peyton's house and yet, she no longer lived in it. The idea hit her almost like it had hit her when she had moved out of her family home and into Nathan's apartment after they had been married. It was a loss and yet, it was a move towards the future.

"So what are you doing here?" Lucas finally asked as they burrowed under the blanket, both of them lying on their sides so the could face each other.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep and I was torturing myself by laying in bed obsessing over this whole Nathan, Savannah, me, Jake love square we have going on and I just didn't want to think about it anymore."

"Love square?" Lucas smiled, "I didn't know you knew about Nathan and Savannah. Hell, I just found out yesterday. When did you find out?"

"Yesterday." Haley sighed, "After everyone else left the river court last night and Jake and I were in our car getting ready to leave, I guess they didn't realize we were still there, and she jumped on him and he kissed her and… Jake knew that they had slept together but he hadn't told me and he said Savannah told him it was a one time deal so we were both pretty shocked and needless to say I am a little traumatized."

"Hmm…" Lucas tried to form the right words to comfort his best friend but he was having trouble figuring it out, "I don't honestly know what to say Hales. I want to comfort you, I do, but I'm sort of having a hard time comforting you about Nathan sleeping with Savannah when I know you're sleeping with Jake. It only seems fair that if you can move on, so can he."

"No, I know." Haley nodded, "I know. I'm not mad about them sleeping together. I sort of expected it. You were there. I told her to date him and so I really… I'm not complaining. I was just… shocked. And for your information, Jake and I are… complicated. We're not really sleeping together. I mean, we've had sex twice now, but it's not about that and we're not really dating either. He lives with me but we have separate rooms and mostly we just work together and hang out like friends do. We kiss sometimes and cuddle but… it's not like we're in a relationship. We're just jointly trying to move past our failed relationships. Jake blames himself for losing Peyton. I blame myself for losing Nathan."

"Up until the blame part, it sort of sounded like you were describing Nathan and Savannah." Lucas pointed out and Haley had to take a moment to contemplate that, "Like I said Hales, I just found out about them yesterday but the way they explained it to me is that she makes him happy and they are best friends who understand each other and are honest with each other and so they've sort of taken that to another level. They hang out, watch movies, cuddle and they've had sex exactly twice."

"Seriously?" Haley raised her eyebrow, "They live together and they're not having sex every night?"

"You live with Jake and you're not having sex every night." Lucas countered.

Haley frowned and Lucas watched the wheels in her head spin. He was trying without being blunt to make her realize what he had just figured out the day before but it seemed like she was more dense than he had ever realized.

"Haley, don't take this the wrong way ok, but you are spending all this time trying to figure out Nathan and Savannah. You're trying to analyze them and put a label on what they have but what I'm trying to say to you is that if you can understand what you and Jake have without analyzing it and without labeling it, you understand Nathan and Savannah. Their current situation exactly parallels yours."

"That's not true." Haley argued, "Jake and I are not best friends."

"Haley…" Lucas smiled, "Nit picking doesn't suit you?"

Haley finally let what Lucas was saying sink in and she suddenly realized that he was right. This whole time she had been trying to figure things out but if she understood herself, she could basically understand Savannah and Nathan's relationship too. But did that mean that Nathan was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him? Did that mean that he felt guilty about using Savannah too? Did he feel like he was using Savannah or was he developing real feelings for his best friend? She still had questions.

"Didn't you come over here to stop thinking." Lucas teased her suddenly, "I can see it. You're mind is still running."

Haley sighed.

"I still have so many questions I need answered but I can't get them answered unless I talk to Nathan and he made it very clear last night he wants nothing to do with me."

"So come to the dinner at Savannah's later. Corner him. Make him talk to you." Lucas said, "He won't like it, but there will be so many people there he also won't be able to do anything about it. Although, if he asks, I didn't suggest it."

"No." Haley refused, "I can't do that Lucas. I won't ambush him like that and besides, Savannah already said she would invite us but it would be weird and so we are not invited. I'm not crashing a party I wasn't invited to."

"The definition of crashing is going to a party you weren't invited to Haley. And I'm inviting you so it's not crashing. Come with me. You and Jake and Jenny and Jake's family. You said it yourself, Savannah wanted to invite you, but she didn't for Nathan's sake. I'll just tell Nathan I invited you and if they want to be mad at me they can be but honestly, I'd rather spend Christmas Day with my best friend by my side than worry about what they have to say about it."

Haley was adamantly against the idea. She didn't want to upset anyone more than she had already just by showing up in Tree Hill. Peyton was mad at her. Nathan hated her. Savannah and Nathan had their own thing going. She couldn't ruin someone's Christmas just so she could carry out her own agenda.

"I will be offended if you tell me no Haley James-Scott." Lucas glared at his best friend, "I am asking you to be my date to this party."

"Me… and Jake… and Jake's family?"

"Yep, all of you. I can have multiple dates at once." Lucas smiled at her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear, "Please?"

Haley sighed, not agreeing, but not turning him down either. She looked at the nearest clock and frowned.

"I need to get back. I want to be there when Jenny wakes up to open her presents."

"Alright, I'll drive you." Lucas and Haley both slipped from the bed and stretched.

Lucas slipped into actual clothes and a sweatshirt before grabbing his wallet and keys from the nearby dresser and leading Haley out into the hallway.

They got into the car and Lucas started it, hoping that his mom wasn't upstairs freaking out because he hadn't told her he was leaving.

The drive to Jake's was a short one, the car coming to a stop in front of the house. Haley looked from the still dark house over to Lucas and smiled.

"Thanks for talking with me." She said, "I miss you now that I'm not in Tree Hill all the time."

"Me too." Lucas frowned, "I'm serious about you coming with me later. We're supposed to start showing up around 2 so do you want me to pick you guys up or meet me there?"

"I can't commit to it yet Luke. I have to talk to Jake. I'm not very comfortable with the idea in the first place and if he's not interested than…" Haley didn't finish her sentence but Lucas knew what she was saying. If Jake said no she wasn't going.

"Hey, I thought of another way you and Jake are not like Savannah and Nathan."

Haley laughed.

"How?"

"She's not playing mom to his kid."

Haley's mouth fell open and she playfully punched Lucas in the arm.

"Jerk." She said but she was smiling so he smiled back.

"You better get inside mommy."

Haley laughed and shook her head, opening the car door to exit.

"I'll call you."

"You better."

Lucas watched her walk inside and then pulled away from the house, heading back to Peyton's house. He rolled his eyes as he thought of it again as Peyton's house. It wasn't Peyton's house anymore. It was Larry's house. He had to keep reminding himself that Peyton had moved out.

When he got back to the house he let himself in and very quietly made his way back to Peyton's old room, glancing in Brooke's room as he walked by. He continued down the hallway and then stopped in his tracks, backing up to look into Brooke's room again. To his immense surprise, there was Brooke, in all her beauty, sitting on the bed smiling at him.

"What… How… You're supposed to be in California." Lucas stuttered as he entered her bedroom.

"I went to California and apparently the parents forgot they had summoned me because no one ever picked me up from the airport." Brooke grinned almost seductively as she reached out and grabbed the sweatshirt Lucas was wearing, pulling him down on top of her, "I waited for an hour and when no one showed, I booked my flight back home. Direct flights are a lot shorter, especially when you book one of those super fast jets that are supposed to get you anywhere in like three hours. Super expensive but daddy's paying and it was so worth it just to see this look on your face."

Lucas bent his head and kissed her passionately, her hands entwining around his neck as he rolled over onto his back, pulling her on top of him, never loosing their connection.

"Merry Christmas baby." Brooke whispered as she placed sensual kisses along his jaw and neck.

"I'm so glad you're home." Lucas replied, seemingly almost out of breath from just having her in his arms.

They continued to make out for several minutes, their hands roaming each others bodies. His sweatshirt came off and was tossed across the room and they probably would have completely forgotten their surroundings and shed more clothing had they not been startled suddenly by Peyton yelling from downstairs.

"Wake up sleepyheads! It's Christmas!"

Brooke grinned widely, slipping out from beneath Lucas who groaned and let himself fall flat onto the bed.

"Come on Luke. Peyton's here!"

Brooke grabbed him by the hand and pulled him downstairs where they found Peyton and Xander standing in the front hallway grinning back at them.

"Brooke! You're supposed to be in California." Peyton exclaimed as her best friend hugged her tight, "What are you doing here?"

"My parents didn't pick me up from the airport so I came back." Brooke giggled happily but Peyton frowned at her, clearly worried about the fact that her parents hadn't bothered to show, "Oh, don't worry Peyt. I'm sure they're fine. They probably just got drunk, passed out, and forgot to send someone to get me. No big deal. I'm happier to be here."

Xander shrugged. Lucas shrugged. Peyton laughed and brought Brooke back into a fierce hug.

"I'm so glad you're here!"

"Merry Christmas!" Karen and Larry came down the stairs smiling as they saw the kids in the front hallway.

"Brooke, aren't you…" Larry looked confused but Brooke just laughed.

"Don't worry about it. It's a long story that doesn't even matter." She explained simply, "It's Christmas!"

The six of them headed into the living room and began passing out presents to each other. Peyton and Xander had already opened the ones they had gotten for each other. As Karen had Lucas opening presents, she was showing off her new jewelry to Brooke who was awestruck. Lucas and Brooke had exchanged presents the night before as well, so mostly it was just the parents who needed to give the kids their gifts.

"This is amazing mom. Thank you." Lucas hugged his mom after opening his brand new copy of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

"Girls." Larry handed a package to Peyton and a package to Brooke, "It wasn't wrapped last night Brooke or I would have given it to you sooner since I didn't expect you to be here this morning, but I guess it all worked out."

Brooke grinned and then, after timing it perfectly, she and Peyton each ripped into their packages at the exact same time.

"Dad, this is awesome!" Peyton exclaimed as she revealed her present to be a hand bound book of art. When she opened it she realized it was her art, all pictures he must have taken at the gallery opening when Xander had set it up for her birthday, "Oh my God!"

She jumped over to the other side of the room and gave her dad a bear hug.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome honey." Larry savored the hug from his daughter, "I love you."

"I love you." She responded, returning to her spot next to Xander on the other couch, and turning to Brooke, "What'd you get?"

Brooke was staring at the tiny box in front of her as if she had seen a ghost. It seemed normal enough, it was just a small jewelry box but her mouth was hanging open and a tear was threatening to fall from her eye.

"Since Brooke is speechless and no one else seems to understand, I will explain." Larry spoke up while Brooke continued to stare, "When Peyton was 10 years old, just a couple years after her mom had died, Brooke came over for Christmas and watched us open presents before our Christmas morning breakfast which we did every year. We didn't know Brooke was going to come over so we didn't have any presents for her but she was fine with that. She said she just wanted to watch and this was the year that I had given Peyton…"

"My mom's jewelry box." Peyton filled in, suddenly realizing why this jewelry box was so special to Brooke, "The jewelry box that my mom had kept everything in. It looked just like that one and I was so happy to get it that I cried for an hour."

"And of course I had no idea what to do with a hysterical 10 year old girl, because I didn't expect her to cry about getting it, but Brooke pushed me aside and said she would handle it. And she held Peyton for an entire hour, telling her everything was going to be fine and at the end of it all, Brooke picked up the jewelry box, handed it to Peyton and told her…"

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I wish I had one just like it." Brooke filled in her line and smiled up at Larry, the tears finally spilling out, "Thank you so much."

This time it was Brooke who rushed across the room to hug Larry and she was crying almost hysterically, clutching the jewelry box to her side.

"I'm still not great with crying girls." Larry joked as he held Brooke, "You're welcome sweetie."

Brooke's had been the last gift under the tree so the group decided it was time to get breakfast started. The kids sat in the living room while Larry and Karen headed into the kitchen to get it prepared. Brooke was still holding her jewelry box as she leaned against Lucas who kissed her forehead every once in awhile just to let her know he was still there.

Peyton relaxed against Xander and for the most part they all just sat there in silence, relaxing.

"Man, I wonder what it's going to be like at Savannah's later." Peyton finally said and that threw all of their thoughts into a different direction.

At Savannah's house she was just beginning to stir again, breathing in the deep scent of Nathan as she opened her eyes. A grin spread across her face and she started to rise, looking up at Nathan.

"Go back to sleep." He said quietly making her giggle.

"Morning sunshine." She said running her fingers down his bare chest, "Get up. We have a lot to do today."

"No. Go to sleep." Nathan peeked at her to assess where she was and then grabbed her head, laying it back against his chest, "Too early."

"It's after 6 now Nate." Savannah sighed, "We should quickly go open our presents and then start getting ready for the day. There is a lot to do."

Nathan sighed loudly.

"Fine. You're evil."

They both got out of bed stretching, yawning, and groaning. The light filtering in through the window told them the day was really arriving.

"First present…" Savannah slipped out of bed and headed for her closet, bringing out a manila envelope much like the one she had given Bryan just a couple hours earlier, "I got these made for you."

"For me?" Nathan grinned, taking the envelope from her outstretched hand, "I wonder what it is."

He pulled out the sheets from the envelope and inhaled sharply.

"I know what these are. These are proofs from your last photo shoot right?"

"They are." Savannah grinned happily, jumping up on the bed next to Nathan, "I got my favorites made into wallet size pictures for you. I figured you wouldn't be able to really like frame bigger prints or display them and this way, you carry me everywhere with you."

"This is awesome." Nathan looked through the pictures she had given him, eight in total, "Wow, you are seriously gorgeous."

"Thank you." Savannah was still grinning when Nathan looked up at her and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Your present is under the Christmas tree." He whispered against her lips.

"So is your other one." She whispered back, reluctant to actually part from his lips, "Kiss me a little more."

Nathan set the pictures and the envelope to the side and brought his hand up to cup Savannah's cheek, his fingers digging into the hairline at the back of her head as he brought her lips against his a bit more passionately. She let her hands rest against his chest and as the kiss deepened she pushed him back on the bed, their lips never parting as she laid down on top of him, increasing the heat their kiss was generating. The hand not stuck in her hair moved to her back, pressing her against him as he flipped her over, moving himself over her and groaning into her mouth as she arched her body against him.

"We should stop now." Savannah panted after several minutes of them making out intensely.

"No." Nathan dipped, placing kisses against her neck and chest.

Savannah moaned but pressed her hand to his forehead and gently made him pull away from her.

"We have to. Presents downstairs and then everyone will be awake and we'll have breakfast and then cooking all day and setting up for the party and…"

"Shh…" Nathan pressed his lips against hers softly, "Just a few more minutes."

She giggled but didn't object as they fell back into their make out session until her phone began to ring and then he groaned, rolling off of her as she crawled across the bed to grab the phone from her bedside table.

"Hello?" Savannah laughed as she answered.

"So, I'm in town." Brooke said happily, "I just wanted you to know so that when I show up to this shindig later you'll expect me. It's a long story so don't ask. What are you doing right now?"

"Getting ready to go downstairs with Nathan so we can open presents. I'm glad you're in town Brooke. We would have missed you today."

"I would have missed you too." Brooke replied, "I will let you get back to Nathan, tell him I will see him in a few hours. You two have fun but not too much fun ok?"

"Whatever Brooke." Savannah laughed loudly and then hung up the phone, turning back to Nathan who was now standing, slipping a t-shirt over himself.

"Ready to open presents?" Nathan asked, sounding almost a little disappointed.

"I am." Savannah stood in front of him and looked him straight in his eyes, placing a small kiss against his cheek and then looking back at his eyes, "I need to ask you one favor first though."

Nathan nodded and waited to be asked.

"Bryan and Camille's parents think Bryan and I are together for real and so while they are here today, I need to ask you to just be my friend ok? No kissing. No flirting. No… anything romantic ok?"

"Seriously?" Nathan scoffed, his mouth falling open as if he were offended, "That's not fair."

"It's for the best Nathan. Seriously, you don't want all the parents to start asking questions do you? It's hard enough to try to explain us to our friends, let alone your parents and grandparents and my dad and Karen and Larry… there's just too many people who are going to be here. They all know I'm seeing Bryan, so it will seem normal."

Nathan thought about it. She was right about not wanting to explain to everyone. Trying to explain to his parents and grandparents that he was still married to Haley but was living with, kissing, and occasionally sleeping with his best friend wouldn't be the best conversation to have on Christmas Day.

"I'll do it on two conditions." Nathan said firmly.

"Two?" Savannah raised her eyebrows, "I'm listening."

"First, tonight, after everyone's gone, you're mine. No more of this teasing, make out but don't let me touch, walking around in your underwear bullshit. You are mine and you do what I want."

Savannah smiled and nodded. She wasn't used to Nathan taking charge that way but she was oddly turned on by it so she agreed.

"What is the second condition?"

Nathan grinned.

"The second condition is that you kiss me at midnight on New Year's. He get's to have you all day for Christmas. I want you New Year's."

She giggled but again nodded.

"Ok. I'm good with that."

"Ok." Nathan leaned in and gave Savannah one more light kiss, "Let's go open our presents before everyone else wakes up."

The two of them headed downstairs quickly, trying to be quiet as they reached the living room which was just beginning to be lit by the morning sunlight. Savannah gathered the multiple items she had wrapped for Nathan's big present and set them where he would be sitting on the couch. He too grabbed several smaller items from around the tree and handed them to her and when they were both sitting, they just stared at each other, waiting for the other to start opening.

"You first." Nathan said simply, "Open this one."

He pointed out to her the biggest of the presents and waited for her to open it.

"Ok, but you have to open that one first." She pointed to the box which she knew held the actual PS3 console as she began to open the present he wanted her to open.

When it was unwrapped, Savannah found another plain white box inside and she frowned, using her fingernails to undo the tape around this box only to open it and find another smaller box inside that one.

"I'm going to kill you." Savannah glared at Nathan who was laughing quietly, "How many layers are there?"

"That's the last one." Nathan said, egging her on to get the box open.

Inside this box was what appeared to be a piece of paper, rolled up simply like a scroll and she was frowning as she unrolled it, not sure what to expect.

"This paper certifies that Savannah Mercedes Carter is hereby granted clearance to play the remainder of the basketball season with the Tree Hill Ravens boys basketball team as certified by Jane Underwood, president of the North Carolina High School basketball association." Savannah's mouth fell open and she turned to stare at Nathan, "Are you serious right now? This is real?"

Nathan nodded happily as Savannah jumped into his arms, hugging him tighter than anyone had ever hugged him in his life.

"How? This…" Savannah was speechless, "Nathan, this is amazing."

"It took me awhile to get it all worked out. I had to get signatures from all of the team, Whitey, at least half of the school board, the Principal and then I had to present them to the basketball association. They just gave this to me the day before break started so, I figured it wouldn't hurt to wait until Christmas to give it to you."

"Thank you so much Nathan. I can't believe it… I… I'm really going to play with you guys?"

"Whitey says you have your starting position back." Nathan braced himself as she jumped into his arms again, "Merry Christmas."

Savannah sat speechless for a few more minutes before she remembered what they were doing and so she made Nathan begin to open his presents. They alternated back and forth, opening their presents and thanking each other for them. Nathan was thrilled with his PS3, which he admitted to already knowing about, because it was shaped exactly like the presents Xander had opened the night before. He had given her perfume, new Ugg boots, a new Coach wallet, and her favorite present other than the basketball clearance, a white gold necklace in the shape of half a heart. He rolled his eyes but showed her that he had the other half, on a less delicate chain which he slipped over his head and tucked the necklace under his shirt.

"This is the greatest Christmas ever." She sighed, moving to cuddle up next to him, staring at the Christmas tree as the sun continued to rise, "You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for."

"Right back at you." Nathan leaned and kissed the top of her head, "Love you."

"Love you."

It wasn't long before the rest of the Carter family began to trickle downstairs, Mariah first, then Theo and finally Deacon. Mariah and Theo went straight to cooking while the other three ate quick breakfasts and then began to preparations for the day.

All over Tree Hill preparations were beginning. Groups were getting dressed. Families were gathering. Makeup was being applied. Christmas apparel was being donned. And Haley was trying to make going to Savannah's house sound like the worst idea in the world so that Jake would say no, but it wasn't working.

"It'll be good." Jake nodded as he changed Jenny's diaper and moved to slip her into the Christmas dress his mom had just given her as a present, "My parents will have such a good time. They don't really do that type of stuff, mingling with other families from Tree Hill. You'll have a chance to talk to Nathan and well, I'm just enjoying being here again. It's been way too long since I was in Tree Hill."

"Yeah, but Jake there's gonna be drama and Nathan doesn't want to talk to me. Your parents don't want to be around Dan Scott, trust me, there will be some sort of scene and then Savannah's family… well I don't really know them but are you sure you want to go?"

"Haley, if you don't want to go, then tell Lucas no, but I think it will be fun." Jake picked up Jenny who was giggling happily now that she was dressed and ready for the day, "It's up to you."

Jake disappeared out into the living room where his parents immediately began to fuss over Jenny and how cute she looked in her dress. Haley fell onto the bed she had shared with Jake the night before and groaned, throwing her hand to her forehead but ending up hitting herself harder than she meant to.

"Ow…" She frowned at herself and then closed her eyes, letting herself relax a bit as she began to think about the ramifications of accepting Lucas's invitation. On one hand, she felt like they could all have a good time. There would be food and friends and family, but on the other hand, her friends were still mad at her for leaving, her "family" she was unsure of. She was either Jake and Jenny's family for the time being or she was still a Scott, and being a Scott would only bring drama while being part of the Jagielski family would probably seem weird to everyone else around her.

"Ok." Jake came back into the room without Jenny, closing the door behind him and joining her on the bed, pulling her into his arms, "Let's talk about this. Why don't you want to go?"

"Because it's weird. It's Savannah's house and it's her party and she specifically didn't invite us so that it wouldn't be weird for Nathan and then we're just gonna go anyway? I don't want to cause Nathan anymore pain than I already have. His family is going to be there and her family and it just might be weird, everyone knowing that he and I are split up but then we like show up together, you and I and that makes it weirder and I am completely rambling but I just…"

"Alright, that all makes sense. So then why should we go?"

"You are making me make a pros and cons list aren't you?" Haley laughed and he nodded with a smile, "Ok, well we should go because I could talk to Nathan and I need to talk to him because I haven't talked to him face to face since I left. I could also talk to the rest of my friends because I haven't talked to any of them since I left really either so maybe I could patch some things up. Um… Lucas invited us so it would be polite to go with him plus he kind of refused to take no for an answer. I want to see Karen. Your parents would have fun. You would have fun…"

Haley turned to look at Jake and she was pouting.

"My pro list just got longer than cons huh?"

Jake nodded.

"Ok." Haley sighed, "We will go. Let me call Lucas to tell him we're going."

Haley went out to the front porch, sitting on the steps as she dialed Lucas's phone number and waited for him to answer. She hoped he hadn't gone back to sleep after he had dropped her off this morning.

"Lucas's phone, this is Brooke speaking. Make it good or I'm not telling him you called."

Haley was a little taken a back by the way Brooke answered the phone but she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Hey Brooke, it's Haley."

"I know who it is. What do you want former friend?" Brooke retorted.

"Brooke I…" Haley sighed, "I'm so sorry I haven't called you before now. I've been really busy but I'm not going to make excuses. I've been a horrible friend, a horrible person really, and I'm really sorry for leaving the way I did and I hope that you can accept my apology. I really want things to start going back to the way they used to be before I left."

"You're serious?" Brooke sat down where she was at, alone in her room while Lucas was still downstairs helping his mom clean up from breakfast, "Haley, things will never be like they were before you left. Nathan is moving on. You're apparently moving on. We all have lives that have continued on without you here."

"No, I know but I mean, I want us to be friends again. I just, I realize that I hurt more than just Nathan when I left and now that I have started to recover a little I'm trying to make amends." Haley frowned, "I'm really sorry Brooke."

Brooke was quiet for a moment, contemplating Haley's words. She sounded sincere and Brooke knew that it hadn't been easy on Haley since she left either, but being mad at Haley had was easier than knowing she had been a disposable friend.

"I'll think about it." Brooke sighed, "Lucas is in the shower. You want me to tell him you called?"

"Uh yeah… wait, aren't you supposed to be in California right now?"

"Yes but my parents didn't pick me up from the airport so I came back." Brooke replied, "I heard you're back in town. For how long?"

"Just a few days probably. I mean, technically we don't have to be back in LA until after New Years, but we won't stay that long. It's hard enough on everyone that we're here today and I'm not here to try to make things harder for my friends."

"Right." Brooke nodded, "Well, we were just talking at breakfast about doing a New Year's Party at Tric so if you're still in town you should come. Peyton's planning it so I'm sure it will be fun."

"That'd be great Brooke." Haley smiled, "Um, tell Lucas that I said yes and he can pick me up at 1:45. He'll know what I'm talking about."

"You trying to go to this dinner thing later at Savannah's house?" Brooke questioned, "We're supposed to be there at 2 so… sounds like that's what you're doing."

"No, um, well yes. Lucas invited me this morning and Jake and I talked about it and we figure it's a good idea so… you think it's a bad idea?"

"Savannah won't care I just worry about Nathan." Brooke replied, "Doesn't matter either way because at the end of the day, even if you upset Nathan, he has friends who will be there to pick him back up."

Haley felt like that was some sort of barb towards her, but she didn't want to push anything.

"It's great that you guys have been there for him. If he didn't have all of you I don't know what would have happened when I left. I'm really grateful for you all helping him through this."

"Yeah." Brooke sighed loudly, "Alright Haley, I guess I'll see you later. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Haley replied and then the phone went dead.

And Brooke must have given Lucas the message because at 1:45 exactly, Lucas and Brooke pulled up to the Jagielski house to pick them up. Haley took a deep breath and took her first step towards the car. It was now or never she told herself.

"Hi!" Savannah opened the door to her house greeting the first of her guests, "Wait, why didn't you just come in? You live here Cami."

"It was fun ringing the doorbell." Camille giggled as she hugged Savannah happily, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Following Camille were her parents who Savannah hugged happily and when it came to Bryan he leaned down and kissed her very softly.

"Hey." He whispered against her lips.

"Hey." She replied, staring into his eyes until their moment was interrupted by his parents.

"Oh Frank, it's so amazing!" Dana Stevens clung to her husband's arms, "We always knew they would be together and look, here they are!"

Savannah laughed quietly, closing the door behind them finally and reaching for Bryan's hand.

"You've always been like a daughter to us. This is just so great." Dana hugged Savannah tight while Savannah was still giggling.

"Deacon, good to see you." Frank and Deacon shook hands as Savannah's father joined them, "It's been what. Two weeks? What with you in New York and me in Los Angeles?"

"Long time for us." Deacon laughed, "Dana, wonderful to see you."

The normal greetings between people who had known each other for decades occurred as they all made their way further into the house. The adults headed for the living room where they could sit, talk, and be happy.

Savannah took Bryan and Camille towards the room where they had moved the pool table too. Nathan was in there shooting pool by himself but quickly changed paces to wish Merry Christmas to the new arrivals and soon they were all laughing and joking as they always did. Savannah felt slightly awkward, knowing that Bryan was the only person in the room who didn't realize that she was sleeping with Nathan too, but without breaking the newly formed rules of their relationship, she couldn't tell him.

When the doorbell rang again, Savannah abandoned her spot on Bryan's arm and headed again for the front door. On the other side she found the Scott clan and she cringed, wishing she had given this job to Nathan.

"Hi." She greeted them cordially, "Come on in. Deb, you look fabulous."

She took their coats and grinned, finally introducing herself to Nathan's grandparents when no one else made the introduction.

"I'm Savannah Carter. I'm Nathan's best friend." She shook hands with both Mae and Royal, "I've heard so much about you."

"All good I hope." Mae laughed and Savannah laughed with her.

"Of course! Nathan says you're the nicest person he knows." Savannah replied, "I'll go get him so he can say hi but let me introduce you all first."

She led them into the living room where Deacon was handing drinks to Frank and Dana Stevens.

"Daddy? This is Dan and Deb Scott. They are Nathan's parents and this is Mae and Royal Scott. They are Nathan's grandparents." Savannah smiled back and forth as Deacon came over and shook hands with them all, "This is my dad Deacon, his business partner Frank Stevens, and Frank's wife Dana."

The introductions as they all chit chatted were still continuing when Savannah excused herself to go find Nathan.

"Hey Nate. Your parents and grandparents are here." Savannah said, reaching out for his hand, "Come on. I told them I would find you so you could come say hi."

"Why?" Nathan laughed, setting his pool stick down and taking Savannah's hand, "I thought I could just hang out in here all day."

"Haha, very funny."

Without realizing it they walked hand in hand back to the living room where it seemed the small group had already split up by gender, Deacon, Frank and Royal seemingly discussing business while the women sat on the couch talking animatedly.

"Nathan!" Mae immediately saw her grandson and jumped up from the couch, rushing to him and pulling him into a hug, "Hi sweetie!"

"Hi Grandma." Nathan answered stiffly, letting his grandmother fuss over him and then moving to greet his grandfather and parents as well, "Merry Christmas mom."

"You too honey. How are you holding up?" Deb smiled at him sympathetically.

"I'm good." Nathan suddenly realized he was still holding Savannah's hand so he quickly squeezed it then let it go so that he could hug his mom.

"Of course you are. You're a strong boy." Royal moved in to greet him, "How's basketball?"

Nathan laughed a little and nodded.

"Basketball is good. We're undefeated right now and only getting better." Nathan grinned and then added as he looked directly at Dan, "Savannah's back on the team so we're definitely going to improve."

"Nate.." Savannah laughed lightly as a round of questions from everyone began to be fired at her asking about everything from how she was going to be able to play on the boys team to when she had been reinstated to how she felt about it. Some questions were happy. Some were poignant. The only thing that saved her from answering was the doorbell. "Excuse me. I have to get that."

She practically ran to the door, leaving Nathan alone in the room with all the adults. She swung the front door open with a huge grin plastered to her face but it dropped the second she saw who was there.

"Uh…"

"Hi." Brooke giggled, entering the house and hugging Savannah happily, "Merry Christmas friend."

"Merry Christmas Brooke…" Savannah watched as the group began to flood into the house, "Lucas, Karen, Larry, Peyton, Xander… Haley, Jake."

"Sorry to spring this on you." Haley smiled bashfully at Savannah, "Um, these are Jake's parents and Jenny, Jake's daughter."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Savannah tried not to act like she didn't want them there, knowing that his parents probably had no idea they hadn't been invited, "I'm Savannah Carter. Welcome. Um, everyone's starting to gather in the living room right through there."

Savannah pointed them in the right direction and Karen and Larry led the group that way. She watched them all walk away until Lucas and Haley started to walk away and she grabbed their arms so they couldn't.

"Whose idea was this?" She snapped at them both.

"Mine." Lucas admitted, "I invited them."

"Look, I know that Haley is your best friend and Haley, you know I have nothing against you but you both also knew that Haley and Jake were not invited to this party and for good reason so what are you trying to pull huh?"

Lucas and Haley both exchanged guilty looks but neither of them had an answer. Lucas was about to try to answer when Nathan walked into the foyer and stopped dead.

"Hi Nathan." Haley feebly spoke up waving at her husband.

Savannah spun around and her face fell, seeing how upset Nathan was.

"Nate…" Savannah started to say something to him but before she could he shook his head and went straight up the stairs.

Savannah turned back to Lucas and Haley, glaring at them both.

"I am so mad at you two right now, but I guess the damage is already done so, head on into the party while I go clean up your mess."

Savannah disappeared upstairs before either Lucas or Haley could say another word. She looked in her bedroom first, just in case, and when he wasn't there she headed for his bedroom where she found him sitting on his bed, staring down at his hands which were clenched into fists.

She closed the door quietly behind her, locking it so that they would definitely have privacy while they talked and then she approached him slowly, sitting on the bed next to him without him even looking up at her.

"I didn't invite them." She said first, "Jake and Haley. I actually specifically told them they were not invited."

"I knew you wouldn't do that." Nathan replied softly, looking over at Savannah and smiling feebly, "You knew it would upset me. You wouldn't do that to me. It was Lucas right?"

Savannah sighed and nodded.

"I figured." Nathan sighed, "It's fine. I should have expected it the moment she showed up at the river court last night. Lucas would do anything to spend a few extra moments with Haley and he would also do anything to try and get Haley and I to talk out our issues. Try to make things work. He doesn't understand why I would want to have nothing to do with her."

Savannah knew what he was talking about and it made sense. Lucas just didn't get it. He thought they could still talk things out.

"Well, I um, told them to stay since they were already here." Savannah wrinkled her nose when Nathan looked at her and she cracked a smile, "Is that cool?"

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her softly.

"I know I'm not supposed to do that today but you're so damn adorable."

She giggled and leaned in to kiss him softly this time.

"We just can't do that with anyone else around."

"So, let's have a plan." Nathan said finally, after a few more delicate kisses, "If you see Haley trying to corner me, which I'm predicting she will because she probably came here to talk to me, you have to rescue me and um… I don't know. What can I do for you?"

"If you hear Bryan's parents talking about marriage, shoot me." Savannah joked.

"Alright, let me just grab my nine so I can bust a cap." Nathan retorted and they both started giggling uncontrollably.

"Seriously though, I don't need rescuing today but I will be more than happy to rescue you ok?" Savannah offered.

"I knew you would." Nathan said, "You always do."

They headed back downstairs together and found that most everyone had arrived and were hanging out together in the living room. Savannah and Nathan headed into the living room to mingle where he was immediately pulled into a conversation with Tim, Lucas, and Jake about basketball. Savannah was pulled to Bryan's side and there they stayed until dinner was served about an hour later.

"I just wanna say thank you to all of you for joining us here today." Savannah looked around the whole table at her family and friends, "Christmas in our family has always been about being together. It didn't matter where we were, my dad, my brother, and my sister always made sure that the four of us were together for Christmas and it's just so nice, having moved here to Tree Hill so sure that I would hate it, having made friends who are happy to spend today here, with their families, mingling with ours. Thank you to Mae for bringing the honey ham, Karen for bringing dessert, Mariah and Theo for dazzling us with their culinary skills. I'm just glad you are all here, really so, Merry Christmas and dig in."

There was a clinking of glasses, treating her speech like a toast and then everyone began passing around the various food items so each person could build their own plate.

Lucas found himself nibbling on his food but mostly observing everyone around him as they all ate their dinner. Somehow, the mixture of people they had brought together, there was no drama ensuing. He had expected Dan to have some sort of smart ass comment to make at every turn, but Dan was happy to discuss basketball and business with the other men. He even noticed that Keith was making an effort to be nice to Larry. He saw so much of Savannah in her dad, the way he commanded the attention of everyone in the room when he wanted to and the attention of no one when he wanted the spotlight to shine on someone else. He was amazed that in this house, today, the social stigma had seemed to fall and the rich like Deacon and Frank and even Dan had no problem socializing with those who weren't rich, like Keith, Larry, Jake's parents and even Whitey.

Brooke smiled over at Lucas, watching him observe the rest of the people around them. She leaned over to place a light kiss at his temple and then went back to eating, turning to Camille and gossiping with her about shopping, cheerleading, and school.

When dinner and dessert had finished, they all again migrated into the living room, and yet still, everyone was still getting along. All the kids had expected this to be a day filled with drama and yet, the only drama that had occurred so far was Haley and Jake showing up with Lucas.

"I think I'm gonna try to talk to him now." Haley sighed to Lucas as they stood on the outskirts of the group, sipping on sparkling apple cider, "What do you think?"

Lucas looked over at Nathan who was happily laughing with Tim, Camille, Brooke, Savannah and Bryan on the other side of the room.

"It's funny isn't it? The adults are all getting along. My mom, Dan, Keith, Larry… no one has a problem and yet us teenagers, here we are, divided as if last year never happened. The rich kids over there laughing it up and you and me over here, watching."

"Lucas…" Haley sort of laughed, "Don't be ridiculous ok? First of all, they're only like that because I'm over here. If I wasn't here you would be one of them and second, I'm not poor anymore. I happen to have a very lucrative recording contract buddy. I have money now."

Lucas grinned at his best friend and nodded.

"I guess you're right. You should be over there with them."

"With who?" Peyton joined them, sipping her own cup of sparkling apple cider, standing on Haley's other side.

Haley's voice faltered for a second, not realizing that Peyton was even speaking to her.

"Oh um… Lucas was saying that the rich kids are over there talking and he and I are over here, just like before." Haley smiled and Peyton managed to smile back.

"Well, where does that leave me?"

"You were always a rich kid." Lucas responded immediately, "Brooding, artsy rich girl."

"That's where you have it wrong." Peyton laughed, "I was never rich, just popular and only because Brooke is my best friend."

"Well, now you're rich." Lucas pointed out, "Married to one of the richest guys in the room, soon to have his spawn."

Peyton and Haley both giggled at the word.

"You make it sound like we're having an alien baby." Peyton sighed, "No, seriously, we've gotten so far past all the bullshit surrounding popular or not popular, rich or poor. We're all just friends now you know?"

"All of us?" Haley questioned hopefully.

Peyton considered her for a second and then cocked her head to the side as she took a sip from her drink.

"I guess that depends." She finally said in response to Haley's question, "You gonna keep in touch or just keep disappearing?"

"Definitely keep in touch." Haley responded without a second thought.

Peyton nodded and threw an arm around Haley's shoulder.

"Then yes, all of us."

Lucas caught Nathan glancing over at them in that moment and he sighed.

"Now is definitely your moment Hales. You need to talk to Nathan." Lucas reminded her.

Haley took a deep breath and nodded, hugging Peyton back really quickly and then slipping from her grasp.

"Wish me luck." She called back to them before walking away.

"Good luck." Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Haley approached Nathan where he was standing with the rest of their friends slowly. She wasn't really sure how she was going to do this but she had to try.

"Hey Nathan…" She tapped on his arm and he turned around to look at her, all the conversation in the circle ending, "Um… can I talk to you?"

"Oh Nate, I remembered I needed you to help me in the kitchen." Savannah said immediately moving towards Nathan while everyone else just looked on.

"Um…" Nathan looked back and forth between Savannah and Haley and then sighed, "Actually Savannah, I think I should talk to Haley. Can you get someone else to help you?"

Savannah stared at him for a second and then looked at Haley, nodding.

"Yeah, of course."

"Thanks." Nathan turned to Haley and motioned for her to follow him out of the living room, heading towards the back hallway, an area of the house that Haley had never been to before.

They ended up in the room with the pool table and Nathan closed the door behind them, just in case the conversation got heated, he didn't want to interrupt anyone else's Christmas.

"So…" Nathan moved himself around the pool table and ended up lifting himself to sit on the edge of it, "What'd you want to talk about?"

"Um…" Haley suddenly blanked on what she had originally been planning to say to him. She hadn't expected it to be this easy to get him alone, "Well… how are you?"

Nathan frowned at her.

"How am I? That's why you wanted to talk to me?" He questioned.

"No." Haley sighed, "No, it's not. I just kind of spaced on what I wanted to say. Um… look, I know that me showing up here today or even last night has to be hard on you."

"It's easier than you would imagine." Nathan immediately said, "Ignoring you really isn't that hard these days."

"Oh…" Haley felt a bit of disappointment and sighed again, "Well, it's not easy for me. I have so many questions. I still don't understand all of it you know?"

"All of what Haley? It's pretty simple. You heard a phone call that you thought was one thing and turned out to be something different. Before you let anyone explain you skipped town, went back on tour, got signed to a record label, hooked up with Jake, moved to LA and then magically appeared in Tree Hill for Christmas. What do you have questions on?"

"Do you love Savannah?" Haley asked simply.

Nathan looked taken aback. That was not the question he was expecting. He wasn't even really sure how to answer it. Yes, he loved her, but it wasn't that he was in love with her. He couldn't explain what he and Savannah had, especially not to Haley.

"Because I don't love Jake." Haley continued before Nathan could answer her question, "I mean, he's a great guy and maybe, one day, I could end up loving him, but right now, he's convenient. Is Savannah just convenient to you or is it real? Is there something there between you guys? Do you feel like you're using her? I always feel like I'm using Jake to get past you."

Nathan sighed.

"Yeah. I was thinking about that yesterday actually." Nathan admitted, "I feel like she's a distraction for me."

"That's how I feel about Jake." Haley blurted out, almost feeling like they were connecting for a moment.

"I talked to her about it though. She knows how I feel and she feels the same way towards me because of Bryan, so it works for us." Nathan continued, "Have you told Jake you're using him?"

"Sort of." Haley sighed, "We kind of talked before we flew here yesterday. He knows I'm not over you but… I don't know Nathan. It's so… surreal! How did we get here?"

"You left." Nathan said simply raising his eyebrows at her, "That's how we got here. You left."

Haley frowned and looked down at her feet as she bit her bottom lip.

"I love you." She sighed, looking back up at Nathan, "I love you more than anything in the world. I am so sorry for hurting you. Isn't there anything I can do to work this out? To get you to forgive me and take me back?"

"No." Nathan didn't hesitate even a moment to think about it, "Nothing you say or do will ever change what you did to me. You turned your back on us Haley. I told you before and I will tell you again, I forgive you, but we will never be what we used to be."

Haley could feel the tears starting to build but she quickly shook her head, refusing to let them escape.

"Do you ever think about us? Think about when it was good?" She questioned, daring to look up and found herself staring directly into his crystal blue eyes.

"All the time." He admitted, letting himself get lost in her eyes for the first time since she had left.

"Me too." Haley nodded moving closer to him, "I miss you so much."

"I miss you too." Nathan allowed her to move so she was standing between his legs and he was leaning down to kiss her. Their lips connected very softly, really just a flutter of touch. He slipped off the table so he was standing and then turned them, pulling her up so she was the one sitting on the table so they were at a more even height as the kiss intensified.

Nathan allowed himself to forget for a minute that his wife had hurt him and instead just let himself focus on her lips, pressed into his, parting and allowing him to dip his tongue inside her mouth. He held her and caressed her back, deepening the kiss and then suddenly it all came crashing back and he flew backwards away from her, as if her lips had burnt him.

"Nathan…" Haley started, touching her index finger to her lips as if she didn't believe what had just happened.

"No." Nathan shook his head vigorously, "You need to leave now Haley. You need to go."

"Nathan, no, don't freak out ok? It was just a kiss and…"

"Get out." Nathan opened the door and pointed out of it, "I don't just mean out of the room. Get out of my house. Go back to wherever it is you're staying, hell, go back to LA just stay the hell away from me."

Haley began chewing her bottom lip again as she held back the tears threatening to spill over. She wanted to look him in the eye and make him face her. She wanted to face him but she couldn't. She couldn't look at him, afraid that she might break down if she did so she did as he asked, and she left.

Savannah heard the front door slam shut and she frowned, looking around to see if anyone had left the living room besides Nathan and Haley. When everyone else was still accounted for, worrying that it was Nathan who had stormed out, she headed for the front door, quickly.

It only took her a few seconds to get to the end of the driveway where she found Haley, sitting on the sidewalk, her head in her hands and her body shaking which clearly meant she was crying.

"Haley?" Savannah moved to sit next to Haley and tried to get her to look up, "Haley? Are you ok?"

Haley shook her head no but refused to look at Savannah. She was embarrassed and upset and she didn't want to talk to Savannah. Although it wasn't Savannah's fault, she would have been the last person in the world that Haley would have told about what just happened.

"You want me to get Lucas?" Savannah asked, recognizing that Haley didn't really want to talk to her and really wanting to go check on Nathan instead.

Haley nodded at the mention of her best friend so Savannah took the hint and headed back towards the house.

Her first stop was into the living room to get Lucas and to do damage control. The whole house had heard the door slam so they were of course wondering what had happened.

"Hey, Brooke? Can you start handing out Christmas presents?" Savannah asked the most cheery person in the room who would hopefully be able to distract the rest of the guests, "There's something for everyone under there."

As soon as everyone was distracted by presents, Savannah grabbed Lucas and then pulled him from the room.

"I don't know what happened. Haley's outside crying. She doesn't want to talk to me and I need to find Nathan so you go talk to her ok?"

Lucas nodded and headed outside. Savannah headed to the back hallway, hoping Nathan was still back there or else she would have to start searching the whole house. Luckily, she found him laying on his back on the pool table, staring at the ceiling, but seeming relatively unfazed by whatever had just occurred.

"Uh… hey you." Savannah closed the door behind her and Nathan turned to look at her, no emotion on his face, "What happened? Haley's outside crying."

"I kissed her." Nathan replied honestly, turning to look back at the ceiling as he took a deep breath, "I don't know what came over me. I just… we were talking, civilly and I kissed her or let her kiss me, I don't know how it worked really but we were kissing and then I realized who I was kissing and I snapped. I told her to leave and to stay away from me."

"Wow." Savannah hopped up onto the pool table and joined him, laying next to him and staring up at the ceiling, "That's intense. No idea how you went from talking to kissing huh?"

Nathan explained that he and Haley had been talking about how they felt about using the people they were currently sleeping with and how they had said they missed each other and then suddenly they were kissing.

"Hmm…" Savannah sighed, "It sounds like you were making progress before that kiss."

"We were." Nathan nodded and turned to look at Savannah, "I know we kind of talked about this yesterday but does it hurt your feelings when I say I'm using you right now?"

"No." Savannah smiled, bringing her hand up to caress Nathan's cheek, "We already agreed. We're different than most people. We can be friends that are sometimes more than friends but be honest with each other about everything. I'm just happy that you are honest with me because if I felt like you were really into me and I was still dating Bryan, I wouldn't be able to be with you at all. I would feel like I was going to hurt you."

"I need you more than ever right now." Nathan admitted turning on his side to face Savannah, pulling her close to him, "With her here… I just, it's messing with my head and having you by my side, to be there for me through all of this… you mean the world to me."

Savannah smiled and nodded, not needing to say anything back to him because she knew that he knew that she understood.

Outside Lucas took a seat next to Haley and they sat there quietly, neither of them saying a word. Lucas knew that when Haley wanted to talk to him, she would, so he just waiting patiently.

"We kissed." She said after a few minutes of silence, "Nathan and I."

Lucas turned to look at her, the surprise clearly etched on his face.

"Alright, well I didn't expect that." Lucas replied, "So um, why are you out here?"

"Because he realized he was kissing me, pulled away like I had hit him in the face and then told me to get out and stay the hell away from him." Haley groaned, "I always make things worse. We were doing good. We were talking and then… I don't know if he kissed me or I kissed him but either way, I never should have come here today. I knew it was a bad idea from the beginning."

"Hales…" Lucas wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders and pulled her to his side, "You don't really mean that."

"How did we go from talking to kissing to him hating me again?" Haley exclaimed, "I don't get it!"

"I don't know Haley. I wasn't there but if I'm being honest, I know you both still love each other, so my guess is the love came through for a minute and he doesn't hate you, but loving you scares him." Lucas said, "It's going to be hard for a really long time Haley but I think right now, what you need to get from this, is that he loves you and you love him, but you're going opposite directions now. You're splitting up so that love isn't going to show the way it used to."

Haley sniffled, still finding it hard to come to grips with her marriage being permanently over. She had felt so much hope in the moments when Nathan was kissing her and then it had been yanked away just as easily.

"I'll take you home if you don't want to be here anymore." Lucas said when the silence had lasted a few minutes, "We can go and then I can come back for everyone else in a little bit."

Haley contemplated her options. She could go inside and have to face Nathan again or she could run away from it all and go back to the comfort of Jake's house, hiding out until she could get out of Tree Hill for good.

"No, let's go back inside. I can handle a few more hours."

It was almost exactly two hours later when the guests began to depart the party. Dan, Deb, Royal and Mae were the first to leave, followed shortly by Keith and Whitey. Karen and Larry headed out, then Tim with his parents. Camille, Bryan and their parents had a bit of a drive back to Chapel Hill so they were next.

"I'll call you later." Bryan kissed Savannah softly as he stood at the front door, his parents talking with Deacon at the car.

Savannah nodded, knowing she was planning on being busy with Nathan later but not mentioning this to Bryan. Then again, with everything that had happened at the party, maybe Nathan wouldn't be in the mood later.

When Camille, Bryan, Frank and Dana had headed out, Lucas rounded up Brooke, Jake, Haley, Jenny, and Jake's parents, piling them into the SUV he had borrowed from Keith.

Nathan made it a point to say bye to everyone except for Haley and then disappear, heading upstairs to his bedroom before she could say a word to him.

Peyton and Xander were the last to leave, taking Deacon, Mariah and Theo with them declaring that it was their turn to host the family and that meant that it was just Nathan and Savannah, left alone in the house, for the rest of Christmas Day.

Savannah looked around the house, knowing she should attempt to clean up some of the mess before she went and collapsed in her bed, but she also didn't really feel like it, so she didn't, choosing instead to just trudge up the stairs. She was planning to check in on Nathan as soon as she had changed into her pajamas but much to her surprise, he was relaxing in her bed, watching her TV.

"Umm…" Savannah looked around the room like she was looking for something, touching the dressers and everything in her path as she walked towards the bed, "Last I checked this was my room mister. Did I forget something?"

"It is your room." Nathan looked over at her and smiled, "I'm your best friend. I can't just hang out in your room?"

Savannah giggled, climbing into the bed and laying down, her head in the crook of Nathan's arm as he wrapped it around her shoulders and her hand resting carefully on his chest.

"Is everyone gone?" Nathan asked after a few minutes of relaxation.

"Yup." Savannah nodded, "Absolutely everyone. Peyton and Xander to dad, Mariah, and Theo to their house for the night. It's just you and me buddy."

"Yeah?" Nathan looked down at her and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Nice."

Savannah smiled.

"I thought maybe you had changed your mind about tonight after all the drama with you and Haley today."

"Change my mind about you?" Nathan laughed, "No. I could never change my mind about you. You're the one constant in my life."

"I missed kissing you today." She told him, looking up into his eyes as he looked down and into hers, "Is that weird?"

"No." Nathan leaned down and kissed her softly, "Ever since we started this kissing thing I've missed kissing you every second that I'm not."

Nathan turned on his side and pulled Savannah up so their faces were even as she laid on her side facing him as well. He placed a few more soft kisses on her lips and then held his lips on hers, his hands on her waist pressing her body into his.

She opened her mouth and allowed his tongue entrance. She let her arm wrap itself around him, trying with every deepening of their kiss to get closer to him. Sometimes she felt weird kissing her best friend and sometimes it just felt right. In his arms then, she knew it was right.

"Do I still get to do anything I want to you?" Nathan asked, a simple question whispered against her lips just as he was reaching under her shirt.

"I promised, didn't I?" She smiled at him, "Anything you want."

Nathan groaned and flipped her onto her back, moving over her and continuing his assault on her lips. He supported his weight on one arm and used the other to softly cup her breast, massaging it and lightly twisting her nipple to tease her. He knew that she enjoyed it by the way her body was arching underneath him and the way her eyes continually rolled back in her head.

She let her arms move underneath his shirt and she scratched at his back, making him shiver and moan at the same time. Just like he instinctively seemed to know where to touch her to make her feel good, she instinctively knew what he would like and where to administer her touches.

It was only a few minutes before they had shed their shirts, letting their bare chests meet, hot flesh against hot flesh. Nathan held both of her hands above her head as he let his lips begin exploring the rest of her body. He tasted her earlobe, her neck, her shoulder, her chest, her breasts…

"Mmmm…" Savannah moaned as Nathan sucked happily on one of her erect nipples. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair as he did it but with him restraining her hands she couldn't.

After tasting both of her breasts, Nathan continued his exploration, letting her hands go when he reached the waistband of her pants, placing kisses along her lower torso. He quickly undid the button and zipper of her pants, slipping them down her body and only briefly pausing to admire her body before removing her panties too.

He didn't warn her before he placed his lips over her vagina, not doing anything more than just breathing on her as he parted her legs.

Savannah whimpered underneath his breath, twisting her hands in the comforter for support as she arched her back.

"Shh…" Nathan whispered, not moving his mouth as he smiled, looking up at her eyes which were pleading with him silently not to tease her.

He let his tongue flicker against her clit very gently and again she whimpered, a little louder this time. He wanted to continue teasing her, allowing her only short moments of pleasure, but it was even driving him crazy being so poised to take her in his mouth and yet only getting tiny flickers of her taste.

Nathan leaned in, letting his mouth take her all in, sucking on her clit and letting his tongue dip inside her as she screamed. Luckily no one was home as he was positive even the neighbors would have heard her when he began to lick her most intimate folds.

He brought her to the very edge of her release before he stopped, making her groan loudly when she lost the sensations of his mouth on her. Nathan slipped off the bed, standing at the edge, staring at her as she laid there, here eyes closed, completely exposed but also completely trusting. She knew that while she had momentarily lost their connection, he would be back shortly.

Nathan slipped off his pants and boxers, moving back over her when he returned to the bed. He didn't insert himself into her just yet, instead, just laying over her, staring down at her as he caressed her cheek and placed gentle kisses along her jaw. She was breathing erratically, and reaching for him, arching her back clearly hoping he wasn't going to keep her waiting too long. It wasn't until she opened her eyes and looked deep into his eyes that she stilled.

She wanted him and he wanted her but there was more to it than that. He was just staring at her like she was the most amazing thing in the world. They were connecting on much more than a sexual level. More than a friendly level. They were looking into each other's souls.

"You're so beautiful." Nathan said softly, running his finger down the side of her face, "Tell me you'll never leave me."

"Never." Savannah shook her head and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss, "I'll always be there for you."

They kept eye contact as he thrust into her, first gently, then with a more rapid pace. He groaned and she screamed but they never lost the eye contact. Their blue eyes met and held even as their release built and his speed and force increased. She wrapped her legs around him, letting him move deep within her, the two of them moving as one.

Savannah let her fingers run through his hair on the back of his head and just when she knew their releases were coming, she forced his head down and kissed him passionately, their mutual cries lost inside the others mouth as he exploded inside her and she exploded around him, the rest of the world fading away.

It took several minutes to recover. Her breathing began to even out and Nathan regained the strength to lift himself up off of her. He rolled over onto his back and they laid together, fingers intertwined between them, both staring at the ceiling.

"That was amazing." Savannah finally spoke up, turning to lay on her side and stare at Nathan, moving her hand to trace the curves of his chest.

Nathan turned and smiled at her, turning over on his side and bringing her to him, clutched against his chest.

"I'm not done with you yet." He said simply, as if she had no choice in the matter.

She giggled and nodded her head against his chest.

"Who said I was done with you yet?"

_**End of Chapter Author's Note: One more thing, where do you all think we should go from here? New Years? Skip a few months? What would you like to see? I'm definitely open for suggestions. Thanks in advance for reviews!**_


	37. Chapter 35: Tric

_**Author's Note: This chapter idea sort of just came to me and I couldn't help it. It came out exactly as I wanted it to and was inspired by a review that my2krazies left me. Also, I want to thank kapeesh and nicolleg06 for reviewing and everything you said was also taken into consideration when I wrote this chapter, so I hope you like it! It is a little on the short side but after that last massive chapter, maybe you all could use short. ;) Reviews are always appreciated. **_

_**Oh! I need you all to obtain a copy of Sara Bareilles CD Little Voice. It's not only amazing music but it will be what I base most of Haley's music off of for awhile and also, obtain copies of Marc Broussard's CDs (any of them will do but probably Carencro for purposes of this story), Gavin DeGraw's Chariot album, and... more to come. I haven't decided who all we're using but it's gonna be fun. Expect a lot of music in the next chapter so be prepared! :) Enjoy!  
**_

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Tric**

**Peyton POV**

I was bored. With Xander out of town again, having left this morning, the day after Christmas, to head back to Spain, I was officially bored in my own home. Deacon, Mariah, and Theo had all left with him so I had no one else in my house to bug. I had sketched as much as I could. I had hung out with my friends, but they all seemed to have their own plans for today which left me with absolutely nothing to do. Now I was wishing I had taken Xander up on his offer to go to Spain with him for the few days until New Years Eve when he would return.

Just to get out of the house, I headed downstairs to the car, grabbing my purse and the keys, heading over to Karen's Café to see if she had anything for me to do for awhile.

"Hey Peyton." Karen grinned at me the second I walked through the door, "How you feeling sweetie?"

"I'm good." I smiled back at her and sat down at the counter, "I'm bored. I thought I'd come see if you could use some volunteer help for awhile."

"Actually…" Karen nodded, "I was going to come see you this afternoon so I'm glad you came by. I was thinking about giving you a trial run for reopening Tric."

"Seriously?" I knew my eyes lit up immediately, excited at the prospect of being able to reopen the club I had worked so hard at the previous year.

"Yes, but, here are the stipulations so it's not going to be easy." Karen leaned forward to stress how serious she was, "The event you are planning is for New Years Eve. All ages night. Live music. I know it's short notice but you already have Jake and Haley in town, so there's at least part of your live music."

"Jake and Haley?" I frowned. I had resigned myself to try to be friends with Haley again but they were definitely not who I wanted to hire to work my first night back at Tric, "Do I have to?"

"Yes. Those are my rules. You can get whoever else you want to play the rest of the night but you have to include Jake and Haley. You wanna do it?"

I considered the offer. Of course I wanted to reopen Tric. It was the perfect distraction for me while Xander was out of town this week, plus this is what I had been wanting to do and if I could pull off a New Years Eve party, it sounded like Karen was going to let me keep the club open. Jake and Haley would be a mild aggravation in the long run.

"Alright, I'll do it. Did you already talk to Jake and Haley about performing?" I asked her.

"Nope, but they're on the roof so feel free to go up and talk to them yourself." Karen grinned, "Let me know what other resources I need to get you ok?"

I nodded and then headed up to the roof where I found Jake and Haley sitting on the picnic table, shivering in the December air, huddled together for warmth or whatever it was they were cuddling for these days.

"Hey!" I called out, announcing my presence before I ended up seeing something I wouldn't want to see.

Jake and Haley both turned to look at me. They both smiled at me as I approached.

"So, Karen just offered me the chance to open Tric up again but as a test run I have to put together an all ages party/concert for New Years Eve. I only have a few days to put it together and one of her stipulations is that you two perform at it so…" I paused hoping they would get the point but they were both just staring at me, "Would you perform please?"

Haley looked to Jake who looked to me then back to Haley and shrugged.

"I don't know Peyt. We probably should have left town already. We weren't really planning on staying until New Years." Haley answered finally, "Plus I don't even know if I'm allowed to do that. I'd have to check with my label."

"Then do it, please? I really, really want to reopen Tric and if I can't pull this off, Karen's not going to let me do it so I need you two. I'm gonna try to get other performers too, so you won't be the only ones, but you're where I have to start. If I don't have you I don't have a chance."

Haley sighed. Jake smiled.

"We can do this Haley." Jake spoke up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and squeezing her to his side, "It'll be fun. We just got off tour anyway. It's not like you're afraid of performing."

"No, it's not that." Haley groaned, "I was just hoping to get out of here. I think I was humiliated enough yesterday with Nathan. I don't want my streak to continue."

"It's a performance Haley. A job. I'm sure we can pay you. You can avoid Nathan as I'm sure he'll be avoiding you but please do this for me? I'm practically begging."

Jake leaned over and kissed Haley's temple for reassurance. I scrunched up my nose in slight disgust which to Jake probably looked like I was jealous but mostly it was just because it was weird seeing Jake kiss Haley. They were still the last two people on earth I would have expected to end up together.

"Alright. I will call my manager right now and make sure it's ok. Count us in." Haley finally agreed and without realizing I was doing it I found myself hugging them both tightly.

"Thank you so much. I have so much to do so I have to run but seriously, you guys are awesome. Any ideas on who else we could get to perform? Have any industry contacts?" I asked as I was getting ready to sprint away and start my mission.

"Well, The Wreckers obviously." Haley replied, "Um… you could try Gavin DeGraw and Chris Keller although, if I were you I would scratch the idea of Chris Keller."

"Yeah, thanks." I laughed and quickly pulled out paper and a pen from my purse, "Can you give me contact info for The Wreckers and Gavin if you have it?"

Haley nodded and scribbled some information on the paper for me before smiling at me.

"Good luck. I hope the night turns out the way you want it to."

"Thanks." I almost sprinted back to the stairs and down them, out into the café and back to my car. I knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do but the second I got in the car I dialed Savannah and as I drove away from the café I waited for her to answer.

"Hi sister-in-law." Savannah finally answered on the fourth ring, "How are you?"

"I am great. I need a favor."

"Nathan, stop it!" Savannah yelled away from the phone and I frowned.

I didn't even want to think about knowing what they were doing.

"Sorry, he's trying to tickle me. What did you need?" Savannah asked.

"I need your help making phone calls. Can you come over to my house?"

"Sure. I gotta get away from this boy anyway." Savannah giggled again and I rolled my eyes. They sounded like two lovesick crazy people. It got worse every single day.

"Alright, well, meet me there in ten minutes. I'm on my way." I told her.

"Ok. I'll be there."

We hung up the phones and just a few minutes later we were sitting in my home office looking on the internet for musical acts we thought we could get booked for Tric on such short notice.

"Ok, The Wreckers are busy so we can cross that off the list. Gavin DeGraw is not busy from what I see so let's try to get him on the phone…." I wrote down the contact number listed for his record company, "We are passing on Chris Keller. Fall Out Boy is busy which sucks cause we've had them before so that would have been fun."

We continued to make the list and eventually came up with a list of about 50 artists we thought we could maybe book so we split the list evenly and started to make phone calls.

"Yes sir. We're a small venue in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Maximum capacity is 3500. On average when we were doing all ages nights last year we filled to about 1000." I listened to Gavin DeGraw's manager on the other end of the phone line and answered his questions easily, "Yeah, that's us. Tric bar and nightclub. Yes, I am Peyton Sawyer. I got married so I'm Peyton Carter now but same person. What's the normal asking price?"

He quoted me a number for what they usually charged to book Gavin and although I had no idea what Karen was looking to pay for this night, it didn't matter. Xander wouldn't care if I paid for some of it out of pocket.

"That is absolutely workable." I was grinning from ear to ear, "Alright, that's awesome. Get us his rider and we will make it happen. We are going to have several acts so he's going to be ok with sharing a dressing room right? Yes sir, we'll get you a schedule as soon as we have it finalized. Thanks again. Bye."

I hung up my phone call just as Savannah was starting hers.

"Thank you so much." Savannah said and then mouthed to me that she was being transferred, "Hi, my name is Savannah Carter and I am calling on behalf of Tric Nightclub in Tree Hill, North Carolina. The talent manager for Tric, Peyton Carter, and I are putting together an all ages night for New Year's Eve sort of last minute and while doing some research we noticed that an artist you manage, Marc Broussard, is not booked for any appearances that we see and we would love to negotiate something if at all possible. Yes, she's my sister in law."

Savannah laughed and rolled her eyes. I knew exactly what question he had just asked.

"A little background information about the club. It's owned by Karen Roe and Deb Scott, local entrepreneurs who opened the club last year at the urging of Peyton who was desperately looking to start an all ages night in Tree Hill for the local teenagers. They had huge success, got Fall Out Boy, the Wreckers. It's where Haley James started. Have you heard of her yet?" Savannah was good at sweet talking people into what she wanted, "Yeah, she's a local girl. She is going to be playing at the New Year's bash and we just signed on Gavin DeGraw."

She must have been listening to my phone call and I gave her the thumbs up while she winked at me.

"Oh really? That's awesome. It's amazing when you get musicians together, so many of them have worked together before. Alright, yeah, that's perfect. Just let us know. You have our numbers? Thank you so much."

Savannah hung up and grinned at me.

"Alright, they're interested. They will let us know after they check with the artist. What's next?"

We continued down our individual lists and just cold calling the managers and labels we had four artists signed up for the concert just a few hours later.

"This is awesome. Thank you so much for helping me." I hugged Savannah who shrugged.

"What else do we need to do?"

"We need to check out Tric and make sure it's equipped for this. Stock the bar. Hire a bartender. See what our stock or wristbands and stuff is like. You wanna go over there with me?"

"Sure." Savannah nodded just as her phone rang and she looked at it motioning for me to hold on for a second, "Savannah Carter. Oh hi! Yes, absolutely we're still interested. I wasn't expecting to hear from you until tomorrow at least. Um, let me find out. Can I place you on hold for a minute?"

Savannah put her finger over the phone so that she was sure whoever was on the phone wouldn't hear her.

"Are we donating anything to charity on this? This is Marc Broussard's manager. He says they would be much more inclined to participate if part of the proceeds were donated to the Hurricane Katrina Relief fund. He's from Louisiana."

"We can do that. I'll have to talk to Karen of course, so don't tell him it's definite, but if nothing else I'm sure we can donate a nice amount of money to the fund out of my pocket if I need to. If we get him I think that will be a full roster. That would make seven artists including Haley and Jake."

Savannah nodded and got back on the phone.

"Thank you for holding." Savannah grinned at me, "We haven't spoken with the club owner so we can't give you any specific amount of the proceeds to be donated but we can guarantee a large donation no matter what. We know a few independently wealthy people who can donate. Alright, that's perfect. Just send us the information. I can give you our fax number or would email be better?"

Savannah quickly rattled off our email addresses and then thanked the manager and got off the phone.

"Alright, we have Marc Broussard as long as we guarantee this amount be donated to the Hurricane Katrina Relief fund." Savannah showed me a paper with a fairly small amount of money written on it, "25,000 is not that much. I'm sure my dad will donate and Xander and then if we get a portion of the proceeds we're good to go."

"This is so awesome. Come on. Let's go see Karen and get the keys to Tric."

We were at the café only a few minutes later, laughing and talking when we entered, drawing the attention of the customers but also of Karen who was standing behind the counter with raised eyebrows.

"Alright, we have seven artists including Haley and Jake lined up. We need to clear a few things with you first." I laid it out easily.

"Ok, hold on. Let me get my partner out here." Karen smiled at us and went into the kitchen where Deb soon emerged from, the two of them moving to stand in front of us.

"Each performer obviously has an amount they get paid for each show. These are the amounts for the performers who have agreed to play however, I might be able to get them reduced as Marc Broussard, one of the artists we lined up, just gave us an idea. We can make it a benefit concert. He only agreed to be part of the show IF we donate 25,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief which we know we can do partially by donations but also if we donate some of the proceeds and maybe some of the performers are willing to donate part of their paychecks."

Deb and Karen looked at each other and nodded, clearly impressed at what we had accomplished in such a short amount of time.

"Did you have a budget for this?" I asked them.

"We were looking at normal operating expenses so roughly 5,000 plus whatever it cost to pay a few musicians."

"We can pay for most of this out of pocket." Savannah volunteered, "We don't mind at all. We want to make the night perfect and so if 5,000 is what you're willing to spend we'll take that and then pay the rest."

"Well, 5,000 plus usually about 7,000 for artist fees right Peyton?" Karen looked to me since I was usually the one who handled the artists.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It will cover two of the seven which is fine. We can definitely cover the rest of it." I turned to Savannah who nodded and then we turned back to Karen and Deb, "So are we on?"

"You're in business." Karen announced and reached under the counter to grab something, "Here are your keys."

I knew I had to be grinning from ear to ear. This was going to be the best New Year's ever and I was so excited to be back working on something I had enjoyed working on so much last year.

"Alright. We're on a mission then. Thank you." Savannah and I reached over to hug Deb and Karen then hurried out of the café and over to Tric to check supplies.

We phoned in a large order to Karen so she could place the order with the supplier and after a few more hours we had almost all the details ironed out. With a few extra phone calls to the artists who had already agreed to be a part of the night we were able to secure almost all of them at a very discounted or free rate for the night since it was now a charity event.

Our next step was to make fliers which was my job, post ads online which was Savannah's job, and then recruit our friends to help us set up within the next few days.

"This is so awesome Peyton." Brooke looked over the completed fliers as we all hung out at my house that night, "I can't believe you guys put this together in one day."

"It's crazy isn't it?" Savannah smiled over at Brooke and then over to me from her perch on the couch with Nathan, "I'm so excited."

"This is an amazing lineup." Lucas commented as he took the flyer from Brooke, "I always knew you were good at this but didn't realize you were that good."

I grinned and continued to type directions into my laptop as I looked over the riders I had already received from the artists. I opened an email from Haley's manager and began to laugh loudly.

"What?" Bevin asked, snapping up from where she had been laying on the floor with Skillz, "What's funny?"

"Haley's rider." I looked over the list and continued to laugh, "Seriously? This has to be a joke. She's not even a big star and this rider is twice as long as the rest of them."

The rest of the group, minus Nathan who looked as if he couldn't be less interested, gathered around my computer reading the list while I dialed Haley and waited for her to answer.

"Haley, oh my god." I exclaimed as soon as she answered, "I just got your rider. You're joking right?"

"My rider?" Haley laughed, "I don't even have a real rider. Did my manager email it to you?"

"Yes and it's seriously insane! Let me read it to you. 'Haley James requires 3 cases of Fiji bottled water in the 16.5 oz bottles, two at room temperature and 1 ice cold. 3 quarts of peppermint tea cooked to exactly 135 degrees Fahrenheit. One package of honey-lemon Ricola cough drops. 3 bags of peanut butter m&m's."

"She doesn't like peanut butter m&m's." Nathan spoke up without looking away from the TV.

"I don't even like peanut butter m&m's." Haley said at the same time into the phone, laughing. "They must be messing with you Peyt. I'm sorry. I'll call them. That's pretty funny though. Really, the only thing I want is macaroni and cheese at least three hours prior ok?"

"Really?" I smiled and wrote down her request, "Alright, I think we can handle that. There will be plenty of bottled water and tea and stuff anyway."

"Yeah. Thanks for calling me and checking. I'll take care of it." Haley was still laughing, "Oh man, just wait until the band hears that one. Oh, I was gonna ask. I'm having the band come in early because we have a lot of new material we need to rehearse ahead of time. Actually, they're flying in tomorrow so would you mind if we rehearsed at Tric like for a couple hours a day for the next three days?"

"That's fine. We might be in and out with deliveries and setting up stuff but that's find. You guys rehearse."

"Thank you." Haley sighed beneath another low chuckle, "Fiji water… alright. I gotta run. I'll see you later."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and sighed, archiving the email without even responding. Haley said she would take care of it and I trusted her to do that.

It was hours later, everyone had found a place to pass out either on the floor, on one of the couches, or dragged themselves to one of the spare beds. I shut my laptop resolutely, finally convinced I had put in enough work for the night, and climbed into my bed to go to sleep just as my cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" I hadn't even opened my eyes to look at the caller ID.

"Hey… did I wake you up?" Xander said, "I didn't even think about what time it is over there. I just missed you so I called."

"I was just getting to bed. " I replied, "I wasn't asleep. How is everything over there?"

"We're good. How about over there? Daily drama?"

"Not really drama today actually." I smiled, suddenly very glad Xander had called, "Karen is letting me do an all ages benefit concert at Tric on New Years Eve. Kind of last minute but Savannah helped me today and we already have almost everything set up."

I filled Xander in on all the details which took almost thirty minutes, but it never ceased to amaze me that he would just listen to me talk for days. He didn't interrupt. He didn't change the subject. He just listened as if what I was saying was the most important thing in the world to him. Unfortunately for me, this sentiment suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks and I found myself crying instead of finishing my story.

"Baby? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Xander questioned.

"I don't know." I sniffled, "It just occurred to me that you're so sweet listening to me ramble about my day. I didn't even ask you how yours was. I didn't even tell you I missed you when you told me. I'm a horrible wife and you're such a great husband."

On the other end of the phone line Xander was laughing, but I could tell he was trying to muffle it.

"What is so funny?" I demanded to know, "I'm really serious."

"I know Peyt it's just… sudden outbursts of tears? Melodrama? It's your hormones baby. You're adjusting to being pregnant." I could hear his smile all the way from Spain, "I love you."

"I love you too." I sighed, realizing he as probably right, "I better get some sleep. Call you tomorrow?"

"You better." Xander replied, "Goodnight baby. Tell my other baby I said goodnight too."

I placed my hand over my barely visible baby bump and nodded.

"She hears you."

"He." Xander corrected me and I rolled my eyes.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I hung up the phone and realized suddenly that I was no longer tired. With a huge sigh, I pulled myself out of bed and got dressed quickly, deciding that what I needed was a place to think quietly, outside. Fresh air would do me good.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't the only one who had gotten the idea to head out to the river court. I stepped out of the Range Rover and smiled at Jake who immediately turned to look at me, waving almost awkwardly.

"I thought I'd be the only one up at this hour." I called out to him as I walked towards the court.

"Me too!" He called back, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I stopped yelling when we were close enough to each other that I could talk normally, "Xander called from Spain and then I couldn't sleep. Decided I'd come out here to try to think for awhile. Clear my head. I've got a lot to do in the next few days."

"Well, don't stress too much." Jake said, "It's not good for the baby. When Nikki was pregnant the doctor told her that if she stressed too much the baby would come out stressed. Apparently the moods you are in during your pregnancy affect what your baby's personality will be like when they're born."

"That can't be true. Jenny's not a bitch like Nikki."

Jake laughed at my joke and nodded.

"That's very true."

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since you came back to town." I observed, "How's everything going really? You and Haley? Touring? How's life?"

"Well…" Jake started walking towards the picnic table we always sat on as he talked and I followed, "Touring is awesome. It's really cool and I learn so many new things. I never really realized it was something I wanted to do until I was doing it. I mean, I used to sing to Jenny but she was a baby, so she couldn't tell me that I sucked."

I laughed lightly.

"It's just a really great opportunity for me and for Jenny. I've made good money and now Haley wants me to work on her album with her and the record company says any song I've written on gives me writing credits which pays me and any song I help produce gives me producer credits which pays me, so it's little things that are adding up to ensure my daughter has a good life."

"That's great Jake. Knowing that Jenny's not going to have to worry about money. Knowing you won't have to worry about money. It's relieving. I worried about you after you left. I worried that you wouldn't find her or worse you would find her and Nikki would have hurt her. I worried that things were going to be hard for you. You deserved better than to have to go hunting for your daughter."

"It didn't take me long to find Jenny." Jake responded, "Ben really helped in that department. He sort of found her for me."

"Nikki's brother right?" I remembered hearing the story but I wasn't sure I had it correct.

"Yeah." Jake nodded again, "You'll meet him. Since he's Haley's lead guitarist, he'll be here in a couple days."

"Cool. This whole thing with the concert sort of crept up on me so it'll all be cool to me." I smiled and he smiled back, "You didn't answer one of my first questions though."

"Which one?" Jake looked at me and I knew he knew exactly which one I was talking about, but he pretended not to.

"You and Haley?"

Jake sighed extra loudly as he began to wring his hands together.

"Haley and I are complicated." He finally said, glancing over at me and then turning back to look out over the river, "We sort of bonded over music and our mutual love for people we couldn't have."

I raised an eyebrow at him as he chanced looking at me again.

"She's 100 still in love with Nathan but he won't take her back ever. I am… maybe just 98 still in love with you, but you're married, with a baby on the way." He shrugged trying to play it cool but I could tell every word he spoke made him more nervous, "You don't have to say anything to that by the way. I don't even know why I said it…"

"Jake." I put my hand on his arm and he looked over at me, actually holding my gaze for more than a moment, "There is always going to be a piece of my heart that is holding onto you. At the beginning of the summer, if anyone had asked if I would ever get over you, I would have said with absolute certainty, not a chance."

"That's bullshit." Jake laughed slightly, "You're what? Three months pregnant? It's December Peyton. It hasn't been that long since you and I broke up. You had to have started dating Xander like… a few weeks after I left?"

"No. No, it wasn't like that. It was only a few weeks after you left that I met him yes, but we didn't really start dating until the end of the summer. There was just something there… Have you ever taken one look at someone and realized instantly that was the one person for you? The one you were meant to be with forever?"

"Yeah, you." Jake replied.

"Jake, stop. I am not it for you. You know it and I know it and you're holding onto the idea because it lets you keep those walls up." I made him look over at me, "Remember how guarded I used to be? How broody and angst-y and how many walls I had built up to keep the pain of the world at bay?"

Jake nodded.

"You and Lucas…"

I laughed.

"Alright, do you see any of that in me now?"

Jake looked like he was studying me for a second and then he finally shook his head no.

"Xander makes me a better person." I smiled sincerely and finally managed to get Jake to smile back, "When you find the person you are meant to be with, she'll do the same for you."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, staring out over the water, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Sometimes I even amazed myself with how much progress I had made in the last few months, from angry teen to married woman.

"I really like Haley." Jake finally said, turning to look at me again, "She's an awesome friend I just don't know if she'll ever be able to love me the way that I deserve to be loved. And honestly, I don't know if I can ever love her the way she deserves to be loved either."

"Well what she deserves is a bit less than what you deserve…" I snorted and then realized how insensitive that was, "Sorry, still getting over my resentment of her. We were all so hurt when she left you know? She left us all, not just Nathan. Not a single phone call to any of us, except for Lucas of course, but it was like when she ran away, she blamed us all."

"Maybe she did." Jake shrugged, "You'll never know unless you talk to her about it."

I shook my head no vigorously and laughed when I saw my puffs of breath following the motion.

"I just want us all to move past it really. Nathan's doing better. Haley seems to be ok. The rest of us are fine. I'd like to move on."

"Nathan… what do you make of the whole Savannah thing? Does he love her?"

I laughed again and found it felt nice to laugh with Jake.

"Um… Nathan and Savannah are an interesting topic. Here's how I see it and I could be wrong, so don't quote me, but in a few months, Nathan is going to realize he is head over heels for her. Probably before the divorce to Haley goes through because really, when can sex between two friends really stay just sex? It can't and Savannah, it's going to take her awhile longer." Jake looked at me like I was crazy, "No, I know what you are thinking. You think I have it backwards. That Savannah is the more vulnerable one in this whole thing? That she is more likely to fall in love with him before he's ready to love her? You would be wrong there though. She is… how do you explain Savannah? Um… she's like a loaf of French bread. Go with the food analogy. I'm hungry."

Jake laughed loudly at me but nodded for me to continue.

"Savannah is all crusty on the outside. Hard and… no, this isn't working. Um… she is an apple. Crunchy on the outside but… no, that one doesn't work either. Chocolate molten lava cake… on the outside it seems almost slightly burnt. Delectable yes, but almost… Damn it. Forget the food. Savannah is not as tough as she seems and she's had guys hurt her in the past. She is still in love with Bryan who will not commit to her so she's sort of stuck there. She won't let him go but she won't pressure him either because for her, she'd rather have some of him than none of him which is fine if no one else's heart is involved but once Nathan falls in love with her, and he will, she's going to have to choose between her childhood love and her best friend, and that decision would be hard on anyway, let alone Savannah who has the biggest heart that anyone could imagine and she wouldn't hurt a fly if she could avoid it somehow and she will not want to hurt either of them or herself. But of course, if she loses either one of them, she will get hurt and so will one of them."

"You're insane you know that?" Jake asked with a hint of a smile.

"I've been told that yes." I smiled back at him, "It's gonna get messy with Savannah and Nathan but I think the bigger problem here is how will the lives of Haley James and Jake Jagielski turn out? Happily ever after?"

"Doubtful." Jake sighed, "We're friends hiding behind the guise of dating masquerading as broken hearts buried under sex. And really, when does sex between friends stay just sex?"


	38. Chapter 36: Kiss Me at Midnight

**_Author's Note: Hi! This is going to be a long author's note followed by a pretty long chapter so I hope that you all don't mind. :) _**

**_First, let me thank those of you who reviewed, you know who you are. Thanks so much. I love feedback! It keeps me going! PS, NaleyBabi... no, Nate and Haley are not getting back together, ever, unless for some reason my ship preferences change drastically, but I doubt it. _**

**_Second, as I mentioned in the last chapter, this chapter has A LOT of music in it. It is almost IMPERATIVE that you listen to the songs as they are used in the chapter so, just in case you weren't able to obtain the Sara Bareilles cd that I asked you to obtain, I have set up the five songs that I am using as Haley's music on my myspace page. I have also set up two songs by Bryan Greenberg which we are using for Jake and a Dave Barnes song used in this chapter. There are other performers in this chapter but I didn't really use their song lyrics, so I didn't set up their songs however, I want you all to listen to them if you get a chance because every single one of them is worth it. For the myspace page go to www dot myspace dot com/froggychic5 ok? Keep in mind however, the two songs that are sung in this chapter by "Haley" and Marc Broussard are actually Sara Bareilles songs that are not normally duets and that are not listed on myspace. You can look them up on YouTube. I would recommend listening to them actually because they are two of the most impactful songs in the chapter.  
_**

**_Third, there is a story that Haley tells during her set (you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there) and that story was directly ganked from Sara Bareilles who I saw in concert last Friday night. In fact if you go look up Sara Bareilles in Las Vegas on YouTube you can see the video of her telling the story before she sings her song Fairytale. :) _**

**_Fourth, (told you this is a long author's note), I need to include a disclaimer here, I do not own OTH, Sara Bareilles, Bryan Greenberg, Raining Jane, Dave Barnes, Keaton Simons, Marc Broussard or Gavin DeGraw, nor do I know them personally (sort of but not really, longer story than I have time for) therefore any interaction, music, or dialogue by them in this chapter/story is purely fictional (other than the ganked quote by sara bareilles which i don't own but she did actually say). _**

**_Um... I feel like there was more I needed to say but now I can't remember so just read on and enjoy! Please review, I would greatly appreciate it and let me know where you think I should go next. Skip some time? New Years Day? Curious!  
_**

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Kiss Me at Midnight**

**Savannah POV**

I felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off. It was 6 pm on New Year's Eve. In exactly two hours the doors to Tric would open and thus would begin my very first day with a job. Not a paying job, but a position where people relied on me to do what I was supposed to do. People were counting on me. A lot of people were counting on me. Too many people.

"Alright, dressing room is stocked for 35 people, not that they can all fit in there at once. Everyone has arrived safely and are currently tucked away in their hotel rooms. Sound checks have all been completed. The artists are set on a staggered arrival schedule unless of course they want to come early and mingle before it's their turn to go onstage. We have designated them all VIP bracelets so they drink on the house if they are of age and if they are not we also stamped their hands with large X's, like these." I held out my hands to demonstrate the two large X's drawn on every underage person walking into Tric for the night. I had of course been the guinea pig that Karen got to experiment on so mine were huge and probably permanent.

"You are a lifesaver." Peyton kissed my forehead, "I love you. Get out of here. Go home. Take a warm shower, beautify yourself, and meet me back here at 7 ok?"

I nodded, stashing my clipboard in the sound booth and quickly leaving last minute instructions with one of 6 sound guys we would have that night. I had no idea how Peyton handled planning nights like this on a regular basis. We had somehow managed to pull it off, but I still had no idea how.

My phone rang on the drive between the club and home, so I answered it, hoping that it wasn't going to come between me and that warm shower Peyton had mentioned.

"Hey beautiful."

It was Bryan. Thank God.

"Hey you." I smiled, activating my Bluetooth headset so that I could still drive safely and talk to him on the phone, "What's up?"

"Well, it is 6 pm on New Year's Eve and I just got a call from my sister saying there is this big concert bash that you and Peyton are throwing in Tree Hill and I was wondering why you didn't tell me sooner?"

"I have been super busy Bry." I made an excuse but inhaled deeply, hoping he would take it and assume he wouldn't make it to the party on time so he wouldn't even try to attend.

"Well, that's ok because I got ready quickly and I'm on my way."

"No!" I exclaimed before realizing how stupid that sounded, "I mean, no. You'll never make it before the club fills to capacity and I can't get you in once we've reached maximum. Even I'm not more powerful than the fire marshal."

"You're really expecting that many people? Camille said it was last minute so probably only 500 or so."

"We're expecting 1000." I said and then rolled my eyes at myself, "Listen, Bryan, it's not that I can't get you in I just…"

"Have a date?" Bryan sounded almost offended as he just realized why I was trying to keep him away.

My heart sank. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him but he had guessed correctly. I had promised on Christmas that tonight belonged to Nathan. I was sort of looking forward to it. We hadn't really been able to just go out and have fun in a long time.

"Yeah. I have a date." I sighed, "Bryan…"

"No need to explain Savannah." Bryan sighed back at me, "We're dating other people. I get it. Why did I never even consider when I suggested it that it was going to be so hard?"

"Because you didn't think I'd see anyone else." I replied honestly and I could almost hear his jaw fall open at my honesty, "You can admit it. You assumed that I was too in love with you to date anyone else so you could have the best of both worlds."

"How do you manage to make me sound like the biggest asshole in the world with only a few words?"

"I'm skilled." I took a deep breath as I pulled into the driveway at my house, "I have to go Bryan. Come to the party if you want to just, don't expect anything from me ok?"

He was quiet and even though I couldn't see him I knew he was silently agreeing by nodding.

"I'll talk to you later."

I hung up the phone and grabbed my purse so that I could head inside. Tossing the keys, the purse, and the phone onto the kitchen island, I headed straight upstairs and into my bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and stepping into the shower in one swift movement.

I knew I had to be quick but I found myself drifting into my thoughts as the warm water hit my aching body. The truth was, since Christmas I had found myself drifting further from Bryan every day. In one week it was like I suddenly didn't remember what I wanted from our relationship in the first place. I couldn't remember why we were even together non-exclusively. It didn't make sense to me anymore and I couldn't figure out how that happened in less than a week. I had never felt this way during the two years we had been apart previously.

"When'd you get home?" Nathan called out from somewhere in the bathroom but outside of the shower, scaring me so that I almost jumped three feet into the air.

"Nathan! Jesus! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry." He laughed quietly, "Did you just get home?"

"A few minutes ago." I turned off the water for the shower and reached out, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around my body before pulling the shower curtain back and cocking my head to the side as I took in Nathan's appearance, "Is your shower broken? Need to use mine?"

He was grinning at me from his perch sitting on my counter wearing, like me, nothing but a towel.

"No. My shower is working just fine. It got cold suddenly so I figured I would investigate and what do you know? There is a girl in the room next to mine taking all my hot water."

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Well, you look rinsed so I'm assuming you're fine." I stood in front of the sink and looked up at him where he continued to perch on the counter, "What?"

"I get to kiss you at midnight."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"You get to kiss me a lot. What's so special about tonight's kiss?"

He grabbed my arm and pulled me sideways so I was suddenly standing between his legs, staring up at him as he watched me, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Can I help you?" I laughed, "I have to get ready Nathan. I have to be back at Tric in like 45 minutes."

"That's enough time." He leaned down and kissed me softly and as with all kisses between us lately, it quickly turned passionate.

"Stop." I managed to pull myself away and regain my composure, "There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I have to get ready."

I headed into my closet and sighed, looking over my collection of party dresses. I wanted to look sexy but not skanky. It was New Year's Eve so I felt like sparkle and glitz would work well. I pulled out a sexy silver dress and then grabbed signature black as well. The silver was a mini-dress and would show almost every inch of my long legs. Modeling had taught me well so far. Always accentuate your lines. The black dress appealed more to me though. It was longer, to my knees but it would hug every single curve. The silver one screamed look at me. The black one screamed hot but subdued. Plus, I had the perfect pair of black peep toe stilettos that would go with the black dress and I could always add silver jewelry to accent it and add some zest.

I slipped into minimal lingerie, since I didn't want anything to be seen through the dress. I knew Nathan was watching me get dressed from his perch on my bed but at this point there was nothing I could do about it.

"If you get anything on my comforter you're washing it this time." I called out to him without turning around and he laughed loudly.

"I gotta go get ready too." He finally said as I slipped the dress up over my body.

"Wait." I called out to him, turning to see him headed for the bedroom door, "Can you zip me up?"

He returned to zip up my dress and placed a very soft kiss on my shoulder before he really turned to leave. I was left to get my hair and makeup done in the next 15 minutes so I could speed back to Tric.

"Do you need a ride?" I called out to Nathan from the hallway as I was getting ready to zoom back down the stairs.

"Yeah. Give me three seconds." Nathan replied from somewhere in his bedroom.

"Hey, you look great." Camille emerged in the hallway, grinning at me as she perched against the nearest door jam.

"Thanks. You too. You look like a golden goddess."

I looked Camille over and I definitely approved. She had slipped her slender body into a gold sequined mini-dress, left her hair down and accessorized with simple gold sequin earrings and gold stilettos.

"Thanks." Camille laughed curtsying a bit, "So Bryan might be showing up."

"I talked to him a little bit ago. He didn't say he wouldn't be here but he also didn't say he would be. We had a sort of disagreement regarding this whole dating other people thing. I told him that he only suggested being non-exclusive because he thought he could date other people but that I was too in love with him to see anyone else."

"That's kind of harsh." Camille frowned, "I don't think it's like that Savannah."

"I think it is." I sighed, "He didn't deny it either so… I don't know. I think I should just end it with him now or else one or both of us is going to end up hurt."

"He said you tried to break up with him on Christmas." Camille raised an eyebrow, "Why didn't you?"

"Because he begged me not to." I replied honestly, "Sorry, I'm not opposed to talking to you about this but I actually really have to get back to the club. Nathan!"

"Right here. Sorry." Nathan came out of his room completely dressed. He was wearing black suit pants and a blue button down shirt which was completely buttoned except for the top button. He looked very casual chic.

"Come on. Camille, we'll talk later ok?"

"I'll see you two soon." Camille waved to us as we dashed down the stairs making a quick pit stop in the kitchen for me to grab only the essential items I needed to stash in my clutch from my purse and then we were out the door.

"You look amazing by the way." Nathan commented as we slipped into the Aston.

"Thank you. You look quite nice yourself." I smiled over at him and started up the car, "We're running late so if I'm speeding, don't be scared. I'll get you there in one piece."

We arrived at the club 5 minutes late, rushing upstairs and quickly setting Nathan up with his VIP bracelet and marked hands. He'd still drink free, just nothing alcoholic.

"Peyt, so sorry we are late. Wow, you look fantastic." I rushed to the bar where Peyton was silently counting out the party favors which would be handed out to each guest entering the bar.

She was wearing a cream colored knee length dress whose neckline was cut down almost to her navel but managed to show almost no skin. The back was also open sipping up to her waist and buckling at her shoulder blades but leaving her back exposed. It was dusted with gold glitter as were her shoes and she managed to look just flirty enough with her hair falling in large ringlets around her face.

"Thanks. I had a whole outfit planned which fit yesterday and when I went to put it on today, does not." She looked up from her counting and smiled at me and Nathan, "You guys look great too. Can you take these to Nick at the door?"

"I'll do it." Nathan volunteered taking the box of favors and heading back the way we had come in.

"Final performance roster is here." Peyton handed me a clipboard, "Jake is on first and he's only doing like 3 songs on his own before Haley joins him for a couple duets and then Haley's set on her own. Haley is down for 5 songs. We will have 15 minutes to switch sets then Raining Jane is coming on. They are performing 6 songs. Another 15 minutes to switch sets then Dave Barnes has 6 songs. You get the point right? After Dave is Keaton Simons and then Marc Broussard and then Gavin DeGraw. Keeping an eye on time, we can give Marc and Gavin extra time if they would like it ok?"

"Alright." I smiled at her.

"Here is your headset. All staff has one, wear it at all times." She handed me the kind of headset that you would wear at like retail stores to communicate amongst everyone. At least it was black so it matched my outfit and I could almost completely cover it under my wavy hair.

"Party people in the house!" Brooke exclaimed as she came running into the still empty room "This is so exciting. You two look amazing. I saw Nathan at the door. So adorable. Ahh! I'm so hyper."

Peyton and I laughed at her looking her over in her hot pink spaghetti strap tube dress. There was not one single curve left unaccented by that dress and the way she had her hair down, bangs cut and swept to the side she looked absolutely fabulous.

"You didn't make Lucas match that dress did you?" I teased her.

"No!" Brooke giggled, "He's wearing black. Black coat, black shirt, dark jeans, and black shoes. He looks freaking fantabulous too."

"Hey, how much time do we have before the guests start getting let in?" Haley suddenly approached us from where the dressing room was set up behind us near the stage.

"Uh…" I looked down at the watch I was wearing which was camouflaged as part of my charm bracelet, "25 minutes. Why?"

"Oh my God, I still have a million things to do. Excuse me." Peyton went rushing off in another direction while I turned to Haley and waited for her to answer.

"Can we run through a few songs really quick? Jake's really nervous and I just thought I would check."

"Great outfit tutor girl. You actually look like a rock star." Brooke commented, distracting me from answering Haley's question.

Haley was wearing a loose jade green dress which fell to mid-calf. It accented her figure nicely. I would have gone without the black knee high boots but she had piled her hair on top of her head, accessorized with a long beaded necklace and I had to admit it did give off the rock star vibe.

"You can have 15 minutes on the stage if you start right now." I finally answered, looking again at my watch, "Is that enough?"

"Yes. Thank you." Haley grinned and ran back to the dressing room emerging again shortly with Jake and the other three members of her band.

They took the stage quickly and I left Brooke to watch while I went to the dressing room to make sure it was still stocked and check on a few more things before we had guests to tend to.

"You girls have everything you need?" I asked the four girls of Raining Jane as they all sat around the dressing room laughing.

"We do. Thanks Savannah." Chaska, one of the girls, replied.

"Hey, are Haley and Jake really only 17?" Mona, one of the other girls, asked me.

"Uh… yeah. 17 or 18." I replied, not knowing their exact ages, "Why?"

"We were just wondering. They don't seem that young." She smiled at me.

"Well how old do you think I am?" I asked.

"22? 23?" Mai guessed.

"18." I grinned, showing them the black X's marked on my hands, "You're officially my hero though. I'll come check on you again before you go on. Holler at me if you need anything. I will be around. Guests are going to start filtering into the club in a few minutes so if you want to mingle, you're more than welcome of course."

I checked the stock of bottled water which was still ok and then headed back into the club, catching the tail end of When the Stars Go Blue. To my surprise, Nathan was watching with Lucas and Brooke standing near the bar.

"If they don't get off my stage in 5 minutes I'm killing someone." I joked as I joined them to watch the performance.

"I wonder if she kisses every guy she sings that song with." Nathan joked.

Brooke smacked him in the chest before I could and he started to laugh.

"Just kidding." He added, holding the spot where Brooke had hit him and staring at her like she was crazy, "For such a tiny person you sure hit hard."

"You're lucky she did it or else I would have." I told him, trying to hold back my own laughter, "Rest of the group's not here yet?"

"Of course they are." Peyton snuck up on us, Xander now attached to her side with Camille, Tim, Bevin and Skillz close behind, "Alright, before we open the doors I just want to thank you all for the help you put in to get this thing together tonight and especially Savannah, you have been a lifesaver. I never would have pulled this off without you. Let's try to relax and have a good time tonight. Happy New Year's and agree to meet me right here at midnight so that we can all be together when the new year begins ok?"

We all agreed and she smiled at all of us, quickly wiping away the solitary tear that started to run down her face.

"Stupid hormones." She cursed.

"Peyton, are we ready to open the doors? The lines getting pretty long out here." The doorman asked through his headset. I assumed that Peyton had heard it too because she looked to me and then to the stage.

"Give me one minute to clear the stage." I said into my headset and then headed straight towards the stage where they were no longer rehearsing but just talking amongst themselves, "Hey guys, we need to clear the stage. Guests are going to be let in now."

"Alright." Haley nodded and the band began to clear off the stage immediately.

Jake and Haley didn't head to the dressing room though. They exited the stage and then just stood around, sort of eyeing the rest of the group who was still standing at the bar laughing ant talking. I cued the DJ who would play dance music in between the times where we didn't have live music and then said into my headset that the stage was clear and Peyton added that we could let the guests in now.

"If you two would like to brave hanging out with everyone, now's the time." I nodded my head in the direction of the rest of the group, "You need me to hold your hands?"

Both Jake and Haley rolled their eyes at me and shook their heads no. Jake grabbed Haley's hand and headed that way. I decided I would let them sort all that out on their own and headed for the sound booth to check my checklist that I had left there earlier, making sure I had done everything I needed to do.

Within thirty minutes it felt like we had filled to capacity. I could barely walk through the crowd they were all packed in so tightly. I had checked and rechecked the list of things for me to do but so far, so good. Barring a disaster, I felt like I could finally relax.

"Hey." I slid onto a stool that was being saved for me at the table our little group of friends had snagged for us, "Is it crazy packed in here or is it just me?"

"Crazy packed." Camille looked around and shook her head, "This is insane!"

"You actually have a few seconds to spare for us?" Brooke teased me and I rolled my eyes.

"Just a few." I replied, "I actually do have to go check on the bands in a second."

"Savannah, let's get Jake on stage a little early." I heard Peyton come through on my headset, "There's still a huge line out here. We are really close to capacity so let's get some live music started ok?"

"Got it." I replied into my headset and slipped from my seat, "I have to go get Jake onstage."

Jake and Haley had retreated backstage after a little while of hanging out with the group earlier. I didn't know if it was because they needed to go prepare themselves for the show or if it was because they hadn't felt comfortable. I actually didn't really care.

"Wait." Nathan grabbed my hand and pulled me back before I could walk away.

I turned to him with a raised brow and he leaned over to kiss me softly then he let me go.

"Cut it out!" Brooke threw a peanut at Nathan who threw one back at her and I laughed as I weaved my way through the crowd away from them.

"Jake Jagielski. You're up my friend." I announced as I walked into the dressing room and smiled around at the ever growing group of performers. Keaton Simons and Dave Barnes had arrived, "The rest of you, feel free to mingle. I know it's crowded out there but if you want to leave this room, you are welcome to do so."

Jake and Haley's band who would be doubling as his band for the night stood up and I motioned for them to wait in the wings as I had to go on stage first to announce the starting of the concert.

I asked the sound guy through our headsets to turn on the microphone onstage and motioned for the DJ to stop the music. I stepped onto stage and immediately the crowd began to scream

"No no, don't scream for me. I'm no one special." I laughed into the mic onstage, "Welcome to Tric Nightclub's New Years Benefit for Katrina! Thank you so much for coming out tonight. We have an amazing lineup of artists for you tonight and we are going to kick it off right now with a few songs from local boy Jake Jagielski. Give him a hand!"

I headed off stage passing Jake and the band as they headed onstage. I wouldn't have to get back onstage until after Haley's set since Jake's set was going to transition into hers so I checked one more time on the dressing room and then headed back to sit with my friends while the concert continued.

"Hey, I'm Jake and I'm gonna sing a couple songs for you that I've written recently. I hope you like them. This one is called Lonely World." Jake said as he sat down with his guitar at the microphone.

"_Such a lonely boy, couldn't find the joy within. Such a lonely girl, such a lonely world we're living in. I watch it all go by. Can't find a tear to cry. A tear to cry. A tear to cry."_

Up until this point I had only really heard Jake sing with Haley as all the times he had been rehearsing his music I was off doing other things. He had a nice voice and he put so much emotion into every word. I was actually enjoying this concert.

"_It's so obvious how they need each other. They want and bleed and hurt but they keep it covered until it's one big lie. They can't stay alone cuz they fear goodbyes. Well, they fear goodbyes. They fear goodbyes."_

Nathan pulled my stool closer to his and made me lean against him while we listened quietly. I always felt so safe in his arms. Protected and loved.

"_He don't say much, when there ain't much to say. She waits for his response, she waits all day. The world keeps spinning in a silent scream and I keep waking in these dying dreams._

"_I asked her for the time, she said the timing was off. But I got this pain inside she said it's all you've got. I got this feeling that life is passing me by, I'm a couple of years late but I, I'm here tonight. I'm here tonight, well, I'm here tonight."_

Jake repeated the chorus and strummed his guitar, only looking down at the strings every few strokes. I looked up at Nathan and he smiled back at me. It was nice that he was enjoying this. I had hoped he would. I just hoped now that he continued to have a good time through Haley's set as well.

"_Such a lonely boy, such a lonely girl. It's such a lonely world."_

The crowd erupted into cheers as the song ended and Jake looked out at them a huge grin plastered to his face.

"I uh, borrowed this band from a friend of mine. She's gonna come out in a second. Some of you might know her, Miss Haley James."

The crowd screamed again and I could feel Nathan tense up a bit but he immediately relaxed again.

"Anyway, this is her touring band. They are awesome and I have been lucky enough to work with them for the last month. Please give them a hand."

Cheers responded and I had to laugh. This crowd probably would have clucked like chickens if Jake had asked them to at that point.

"This next song is called Someday. It comes from an idea I had for awhile and Ben Girard over here on lead guitar helped me to put it on paper and into this song so, I hope you all like it."

"_It's the biggest storm in years they say. Couldn't take a plane so I hopped a train. I'd like to stay, in a stormy winters day. So I'll come back to you someday."_

"_As the states rolled by, its all so clear. I'm everywhere but never right here. It's always the same constant change. But I'll come back to you someday."_

He went into the chorus easily, smiling at the audience and around at the band who was jamming with him.

"_So close so far, so long the world, spin me away."_

His music definitely had an alternative folk sound to it. It was growing on me more and more as I sat to listen to it.

"_I drive all night just to see your face. The way you touch the way you taste. Even if only for a day, cause I'll come back to you someday."_

"_I speak the truth its all I know. As your tears fall to the snow. And we both know tonight that I can't stay but I'll come back to you someday."_

"Savannah, can you report to the sound booth please?" I heard Peyton's voice through my headset and sighed as she interrupted the song.

I pulled myself from Nathan's embrace and whispered to him that I'd be back in a little while. It was a slow process but eventually I weaved my way back through the crowd and found my way to the sound booth.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked her.

"That song. Do you think it's about me?" She asked, looking around to make sure no one could her us.

"What?" I had heard the question but I couldn't really believe she was asking.

"The song he's singing. Do you think it's about me?"

"Does it matter?" I responded quickly and she shrugged.

"I just wanted your opinion on it." She smiled at me, "I'm paranoid sorry. I wonder if this is how Nathan is going to feel when Haley gets onstage. Constantly wondering if the songs are about you. Reading meaning into every word."

"Well, since I've heard her set and know she specifically chose these songs so they didn't seem like they were about him, I'm hoping no. Now if he had attended the concert I saw in Chapel Hill, where all but one of the songs were about him, that would have been different."

Peyton laughed at me and sighed.

"That's actually all I wanted. I feel weird not being able to just hang with everyone during this thing but every time I head over there I get called to do something." Peyton pouted and I smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"Go relax. I can handle stuff for awhile."

She shook her head no.

"Sit with Nathan through Haley's set and then I will let you handle stuff after. I think, just in case, you should be there for him while she's singing."

I hadn't thought about that. She was right, especially during the songs that I knew wer about him. He would probably need moral support.

"Call me if you need me." I pointed to my headset and she nodded, releasing me to weave my way through the crowd again back to the table to sit with Nathan.

By the time I got back there I had missed Jake's last solo song and he was now announcing Haley to join him onstage.

"Please, please give a round of applause for Haley James!" Jake yelled and the crowd went wild as Haley made her way onto the stage.

She waved at everyone and smiled graciously before sitting on a stool next to Jake and together they began to strum their guitars, going immediately into a duet that I had heard them practicing all week.

"_Can't tell you the truth 'least I don't lie about that. Kind of comfort in you comes when you lie right back." _Haley started the song off, _"Safe from such a strange point of view to hear your own words on you." _

"_How much do you go to be gone? You are any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Don't wanna come down too low. Any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Any way the wind blows in." _They sang the chorus together in a very nice harmony that I had come to enjoy as I heard them rehearse. Truth was, at this point I could probably sing along.

"_Similar creatures we are. Chasing the pipe dream down. Love's elusive so far. Keeps us divided now. Go, go on and write me love songs. So I have something to sing when your gone." _Jake sang this verse on his own, looking more at Haley then at the crowd while she smiled at him.

"_How much do you go to be gone? You are any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Don't wanna come down too low. Any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Don't wanna come down too. Do you know the way, to be in one place but sway any way the winds blow in?" _As with the previous chorus they sang this part together.

"_You are love. You are monsters and angels untouched, unseen."_

"_All in one. I take all that you are cause you're just like me."_

"_But you move and it's hard to stay close to a satellite."_

"_So I lose sight of you till you come round again. I'm watching the wind."_

They alternated singing each line for this part of the song. Jake started and Haley sang the second line, then Jake the third and again Haley the fourth.

"_Anyway the winds blow in…_ _How much do you go to be gone? You are any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Don't wanna come down too low. Any way the wind blows, any way the wind blows in. Don't wanna come down too. Do you know the way, to be in one place but stay any way the winds blow in?"_

The finished the song together and as the final strum of the guitar resonated the crowd screamed. Even Nathan was clapping beside me.

Lucas raised an eyebrow at Nathan and I nodded mouthing a quick "I know." to him.

"Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Didn't Peyton and Savannah do an amazing job of putting this all together?" Haley asked.

The crowd erupted into cheers and I had to smile while I gave myself a pat on the back.

"Well, we are honored to be here tonight especially for such a worthy cause. When you travel for tours, especially in the deep south riding on buses or in cars, you see so much that is not like what you expect to see. There is pain and suffering and destruction all over the place and most of the US doesn't even realize it exists so in the wake of such a devastating national tragedy to be able to contribute to helping even a few people, I feel so blessed." Haley had her hand over her heart and she sighed, "This next song that we are going to sing is a cover. It was originally sung by Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell. Most recently we found it done by our fellow performer tonight Mr. Marc Broussard and Toby Lightman. We're gonna try it for you. It's called If I Could Build My Whole World Around You."

"_If I could build my whole world around you, darlin', first I'd put heaven by your side. Pretty flowers would grow wherever you walk, honey. And over your head would be the bluest sky. And I'd take every drop of rain and wash all your troubles away. I'd have my whole world built around you and that would be all right, oh yes it would." _

Jake started the song and with neither of them playing an instrument for this one, they both looked kind of awkward and they were giggling.

"_If I could build my whole world around you, I'd make your eyes the morning sun. I'd put so much love where there is sorrow. I'd put joy where there's never been love. And I'd give my love to you, for you to keep for the rest of your life. And happiness would surely be ours, and that would be all right, oh yes it would."_

Haley sang second and she was grinning from ear to ear, both of them sort of goofing off while the rest of the band tried not to laugh at them. The audience still seemed to love them despite the silliness though, so that was fine with me.

They went into a bought _"Doo doo doo doo…" _and I just shook my head, laughing as I buried me head into Nathan's shoulder.

Jake sang, _"Oh, if I could build my whole world around you, I'd give you the greatest gift any woman could possess."_

"_And I'd step into this world you've created and give you true love and tenderness. And there'd be something new with every tomorrow. To make this world better as days go by." _Haley followed.

They alternated for the rest of the song and I still couldn't stop laughing.

"_If I could build my whole world around you."_

"_If I could build it, build it all around you."_

And finally they ended with, _"__Then that would be all right, all right."_

The crowd again cheered as did all of us sitting at the table. Lucas even whistled loudly as Haley and Jake got settled again onto their stools, bringing their guitars back out and taking deep breaths.

"When Haley asked me to come on tour with her about a month ago, of course, I said yes without even thinking about it but then she asked me to sing this next song with her every night and I started to get nervous. I didn't usually sing in front of big audiences on a regular basis or really ever. The only time I sang was to my daughter Jenny." Jake grinned as a round of "ahh's" could be heard, "This song means a lot to Haley though. It was one of the first songs that she sang in front of a large audience. The first song she recorded in a studio. Originally it was done by Bryan Adams and then Haley with Chris Keller so tonight, we are bringing it to you live. It's called When the Stars Go Blue."

I looked up at Nathan who shrugged, knowing without me asking that I wanted to know if he was ok. He leaned down and kissed me lightly then whispered in my ear.

"I'm good." He whispered, "Are you having a good time?"

I nodded and smiled at him, the singing in the background sort of falling away.

"Are you?" I whispered into his ear by leaning up and he nodded back at me.

"This is nice. Relaxing with you. Holding you in public. No one judging us." He whispered again in my ear and I could feel my grin grow.

"It is nice." I agreed.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Camille asked just loud enough for us to hear when she noticed us.

"We were just talking about how nice this is. Just relaxing." I responded.

Everyone at the table agreed, each turning to their significant other and sort of cuddling them much like Nathan was cuddling me. It reminded me of how tense things had been between Bryan and I though. It reminded me that things couldn't be as simple as I wanted them to be. It reminded me that I needed to break up with Bryan before things got too messy.

I brought myself back to reality just as Jake was moving from center stage to his backup role as Acoustic Guitarist in Haley's band and Haley's keyboard was moved to center stage, her sitting behind it while the crowd cheered her on.

"Alright!" She yelled to the audience, "Now it's my turn to shine!"

Everyone laughed.

"I spent the last month writing tons and tons of songs with Jake and with Ben over here and this week, when we found out we were going to be doing this concert tonight we were like, what better time to debut some new songs? None of these have been recorded on any album yet. None of them have even been performed live ever before so you all are the first to hear them and we are super excited to share them with you. After my set we'll be out and about mingling with all of you so we would love to hear what you think about them alright?"

The crowd responded positively so Haley grinned and began to play a melody on the keys in front of her.

"This song is called Love Song."

"_Head under water and they tell me to breathe easy for a while. The breathing gets harder, even I know that. You made room for me but it's too soon to see if I'm happy in your hands. I'm unusually hard to hold on to." _Haley smiled at the audience and tilted her head to the side as she continued. _"Blank stares at blank pages. No easy way to say this. You mean well, but you make this hard on me."_

Again, I had heard her rehearse so much this week I could sing along as she went into the chorus.

"_I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you asked for it 'cause you need one, you see. I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this if you're on your way. I'm not gonna write you to stay. If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better reason to write you a love song today."_

"_I learned the hard way that they all say things you want to hear. And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and your twisted words, your help just hurts. You are not what I thought you were. Hello to high and dry. Convinced me to please you. Made me think that I need this too. I'm trying to let you hear me as I am."_

I loved the chorus. I danced along and the rest of my friends looked at me like I was insane.

"_I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you asked for it 'cause you need one, you see. I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this if you're on your way. I'm not gonna write you to stay. If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better reason to write you a love song today."_

The song slowed a little bit and Haley smiled almost seductively to the audience. A look that I didn't even know she had in her.

"_Promise me that you'll leave the light on to help me see with daylight, my guide, gone 'cause I believe there's a way you can love me because I say I wont write you a love song 'cause you asked for it 'cause you need one you see. I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this…"_

The song started to pick up speed again and I was definitely no longer the only one in the room dancing. The whole floor in front of the stage looked like it was moving to the rhythm of the beat.

"_Is that why you wanted a love song 'cause you asked for it 'cause you need one you see. I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this if you're on your way. I'm not gonna write you to stay. If your heart is nowhere in it I don't want it for a minute. Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that there's a reason to write you a love song today."_

Even Nathan cheered at the end of the song and Haley was grinning widely. She looked directly at us and let out a quiet yelp then took a deep breath and went back to the music.

"Like I mentioned earlier, all these songs you are hearing tonight are brand new, written just in the last month and this next one… Have you ever watched a movie and gotten so into the movie that you just felt like you needed to write a song about?"

The crowd laughed and so did Haley.

"Alright, just me but whatever. I was watching this movie that I connected so deeply with and it was called Cinderella." She paused while the crowd continued to laugh at her, her grin spreading with every moment, "No seriously, I was watching Cinderella and I started to think about what happens after they ride off into the sunset you know? I mean, what does Prince Charming even do for a living? They got married and then they head off but they didn't bring a change of clothes and then where do they go? Do they go on a honeymoon or… They were already at the castle so do they take a trip away? And then, what do you do on Monday when normal people go back to work, like what does the Prince do? I don't know and does Cinderella still have to clean up because um, wives clean bathrooms sometimes? But there's all of these things, you get what I'm saying… that I'm crazy but other than that, we never get to know what happens the day after happily ever after and so I wrote a song about it and it's called Fairytale."

The music started a lot like fairytale music would start sort of airy and bright. Jake, Ben and the bassist whose name escaped me at the moment were singing "Ah ah, ah ah, ah ah" in sort of high pitched airy voices as well so already I was laughing as most of the crowd seemed to be. Nathan was grinning when I looked up at him.

"_Cinderella's on her bedroom floor she's got a crush on the guy at the liquor store, cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore and she forgets why she came here. Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood for shame she says, None for you dear prince, I'm tired today. I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming."_

"Oh my God." Brooke was laughing as she turned to look at the rest of us her eyes wide, "Seriously?"

"'_Cause I don't care for your fairytales. You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting on the next best thing." _

The chorus was one simple line but Haley seemed to be enjoying this more than anything in the world.

"_Snow White is doing dishes again cause what else can you do with seven itty-bitty men? Sends them to bed and she calls up a friend, says will you meet me at midnight? The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says, Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair. I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows."_

"'_Cause I don't care for your fairytales. You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting on the next best thing." _

"_Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom, man made up a story said that I should believe him. Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight But I don't want the next best thing. So I sing and hold my head down and I break these walls 'round me. Can't take no more of your fairytale love."_

"_I don't care for your fairytales. You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting on the next best thing. I don't care. I don't care. You worry bout the maiden though you know She's only waiting. Spent her whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience and a dumb appreciation, but the story needs some mending and a better happy ending. 'Cause I don't want the next best thing. No, no I don't want the next best thing."_

The song ended to cheers louder than we had heard all night, Haley turning to her band and laughing loudly.

"Oh my God." Peyton said into the headset and I cracked up, turning to see her standing in the sound booth still, "Haley's a crack head."

"Peyton says Haley's a crack head." I told everyone at the table who laughed and looked over at Peyton, nodding and agreeing with her.

"Alright, alright. Settle down." Haley quieted the audience and took a deep breath, "Everyone goes through times in life that are harder than others. Anyone here ever had their heart broken?"

Most of the audience raised their hand and I took a deep breath, looking at Nathan who suddenly tensed up. All eyes at our table were on him.

"I know what song she is about to sing." I told him, "You might want to step outside unless you're ready to have your heart ripped from your chest."

It was fair warning. He could either stay or go. Knowing him the way I knew him, I guessed he would stay and stay he did, breathing deeply and drawing me further into his arms, squeezing me tight.

"Just let me hold you. I'll be fine."

"This song is called Gravity." Haley said quietly and she began to play the haunting opening notes on her keyboard as the room fell quiet.

"_Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long. No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone. You hold me without touch. You keep me without chains. I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain."_

The song was played just on keyboards which made it all that more heart wrenching. The look on Haley's face as she sang and the way she closed her eyes but it felt like she was looking right at you the whole time. She drew you in, whether you wanted to be drawn or not. Despite knowing who the song was aimed at, it was beautiful.

"_Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're on to me and all over me."_

For a moment Haley looked up and I saw her eyes connect directly with Nathan's. I didn't dare look up at his face for fear that he would lose it and so would I. I could feel the uneven breathing he was doing and I didn't want to chance a scene.

"_You loved me 'cause I'm fragile. When I thought that I was strong. But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone."_

"_Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're on to me and all over me."_

"_I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on the ground. But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go. The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down." _

When she held the note for the word down it was like the world ceased to exist. I felt every emotion Haley must have felt as she wrote the song because I felt like my heart was breaking just from the words. I couldn't even imagine what Nathan must have been feeling.

"_You're keeping me down, yeah yeah. You're on to me, you're on to me and all over… Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long."_

Haley stayed with her head bowed, quiet for a moment while the crowd cheered for the song. I dared to look up at Nathan when she dared to look up at the crowd in front of her.

He smiled at me weakly but I could see in his eyes how much the song really affected him. If I had my way I would have dragged him out of there right now, but I knew he would never let me. He wanted to prove he could handle this.

"Have you all been to Vegas before?" Haley asked the audience as her set continued.

There were a lot of cheers and she smiled.

"I haven't been there. I want to go but since I'm still only 17, I don't really see the point just yet." She looked around and then nodded, "Oh yeah, sorry, in case some of you didn't know. I'm 17. I used to go to Tree Hill High School. I recognize a lot of you actually even though you probably don't know me."

"You're Nathan Scott's wife!" Someone in the back of the room screamed and Haley looked at Nathan who groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I used to be, yes." Haley played it off well, "Um, anyway, back to my original point. Vegas. I want to go there and so I did a little research and it sort of inspired this next song for me so I hope you enjoy."

"This was such a bad idea." Peyton groaned into the headset, "How's Nathan holding up?"

I didn't want to talk about him into a headset that all the staff could hear so I squeezed his leg and excused myself for a minute while Haley sang a song about moving to different places to fulfill her dreams. I figured it would be a safe time to leave him alone.

"Hey." I joined Peyton in the sound booth, "Sorry. I didn't want to say anything in the headset."

"I completely understand." Peyton smiled, "Hard on him?"

"He was doing great. He was laughing, clapping, smiling and then she sang Gravity and I thought his heart was going to stop." I sighed, "It wasn't a bad idea. I mean if anything this is furthering the healing process I think but it's just hard you know?"

"Yeah." Peyton nodded, "Well, she only has one song after this one then she is off stage for good and Nathan can go back to having some good old fashioned fun. If you're good, I might even let you have fun with him."

I laughed and nodded.

"Alright, sounds like a plan." I noticed that Vegas was about to end and sighed, "I better get back to Nathan. This last song is about him although not quite as heart wrenching as the first so, I'm off. See ya."

I made my way back to the table as quickly as I could and sat down with Nathan just as Haley's last song was beginning.

"_Just about the time the shadows call. I undress my mind and dare you to follow. Paint a portrait of my mystery. Only close my eyes and you are here with me. A nameless face to think I see. To sit and watch the waves with me till they're gone. A heart I'd swear I'd recognize is made out of my own devices…. could I be wrong?"_

"_The time that I've taken. I pray is not wasted. Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?"_

"_Sleepless nights you creep inside of me. Paint your shadows on the breath that we share. You take more than just my sanity. You take my reason not to care. No ordinary wings I'll need the sky itself will carry me back to you. The things I dream that I can do I'll open up the moon for you. Just come down soon."_

"_The time that I've taken. I pray is not wasted. Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love? Ready and waiting for a heart worth the breaking. I'd settle for an honest mistake in the name of one sweet love."_

"_Savor the sorrow to soften the pain sip on the southern rain. As I do, I don't look don't touch don't do anything but hope that there is a you. The earth that is the space between, I'd banish it from under me…to get to you. Your unexpected love provides my solitary's suicide…oh I wish I knew."_

"_The time that I've taken. I pray is not wasted. Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love? Ready and waiting for a heart worth the breaking, but I'd settle for an honest mistake in the name of one sweet love."_

When the song ended Haley said goodnight and headed off the stage with her band, leaving me to finally breath a sigh of relief. The DJ started his music back up and immediately the crew went to work setting up the stage for our next act.

"I wish I had time to talk to you." I said to Nathan.

Everyone at our table had sort of broken off into conversations about the performance which left me a few seconds to talk to Nathan before I had to head backstage and prepare for the next act.

"I'm fine." He assured me and I sighed.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, pulling me into a tight hug and kissing the top of my head.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and if nothing else, it at least makes me think she's moving on which means I should be too."

When the hug ended I looked up at him, searching for a meaning to the words he had just spoken but I didn't have nearly enough time to ask.

"I'll find you after I get Raining Jane on stage ok?"

"I'll be right here." He smiled and pointed at the table.

"Alright." I kissed him quickly and then headed to the backstage area.

The club seemed to get more crowded with every second and I was relieved when I made it to the dressing room. Haley, Jake, and the band were just clearing out.

"Great job." I told them non-chalantly, not really wanting to expand, "Raining Jane is up next!"

The girls smiled at me, already standing and preparing themselves to go onstage.

"It's really crowded out there so you guys have a huge audience out there. They seem really receptive so don't be nervous. Are you nervous?"

They said they weren't so I smiled at them.

"As soon as we get the go ahead from the crew I will head out onstage, introduce you, and then it's all you ok?"

I got the all clear from the crew within minutes and I headed out onstage, the crowd cheering loudly again as the DJ quit playing.

"How about one more round of applause for Jake Jagielski and Haley James huh?"

When they quieted a bit from their round of applause I continued.

"Next up we have four very talented ladies from Los Angeles. They have come all the way here just for you all tonight so I want you to treat them well. Please give it up for Raining Jane!"

While they took the stage, starting their musical set with a couple songs from their second album, I restocked the dressing room and chatted with Dave Barnes and Keaton Simons who had recently arrived as they were the next two artists to go on.

It was already four songs into Raining Jane's set when I finally made it back to the table.

"What is that instrument that Mona is playing?" I asked my group of friends as I finally got to pay attention to what seemed like a box drum that Mona was sitting on and playing wildly.

"She said it's called a Cajon." Lucas answered, studying her on stage, "That is awesome."

She and Becky were playing an interlude type of song which I had heard announced as Browntown. It had no words but Mona played the hell out of her Cajon and Becky was playing a Sitar, which I knew most people had never heard of. It was really nice to bring some culture to the musical stage.

"You should have seen her during the first few songs. She is seriously amazing." Camille commented, "They all are. Where did you find them?"

"Peyton found them." I looked back to the sound booth but Peyton was no longer there. I decided to use my headset to find her, "Peyton? What's your location?"

"Door. Still a huge line outside. We are in so much trouble. We are at capacity."

"Seriously?" I frowned, "You need my help?"

"No. We're telling people we can't let them in but most of them are choosing to stay waiting in line cause they figure someone is bound to leave."

"That's insane." I relayed what Peyton had said to the rest of the group just as Camille got off of her cell phone.

"Any chance we can get one more in? Bryan just got here." She said.

I groaned and inadvertently let my head slam against the table, startling my friends.

"Peyton?" I asked over the headset, "Bryan just arrived. Do we have room for one more?"

There was no response for a couple of second and then I saw Peyton step back into the sound booth and nod at me.

"Thank you." I said into the headset then turned back to Camille, "Where's he at? I'll go get him in."

"Front door." She replied.

I nodded and then I was headed off in search of my non-exclusive boyfriend who I wished had not turned up tonight.

"Hey Nick." I smiled at the doorman and my eyes widened at the line. Peyton wasn't kidding. There had to be at least 100 people still in line, but I was able to spot Bryan still standing in the parking lot. I pulled a VIP bracelet from my pocket and motioned for him to come up the stairs, passing the rest of the line who started grumbling as soon as they saw he was getting in.

"That's not fair! You told us you were at capacity!" The person at the front of the line complained.

"Sorry sweetie. VIP." Nick replied without me needing to say a word.

I wrapped the VIP bracelet around Bryan's wrist and then pulled him inside with me, yelling a quick goodbye to Nick as the door closed behind us.

"I thought you weren't coming." I leaned up and said into his ear so he could hear me above the crowd inside.

"It's a party." Bryan said back, leaning over to talk into my ear, "I figured I would come here. Meet your date. Make you feel a little bit uncomfortable and then hook up with some other random chick here."

I glared at him because I knew he was serious.

"I don't want us to start doing this Bry. Irritating each other on purpose? Trading barbs? Just let us go ok? Maybe we can still be friends at the end of the night?"

I waited for him to answer while he looked at me, clearly contemplating his options. He frowned but finally nodded, reaching up to finger the necklace I was wearing. It was the one he had given me for my birthday.

"If it's meant to be we'll come back together in the end right?" He asked finally.

I took a deep breath, realizing that we were really breaking up and feeling pain that I didn't know I would have in this moment. I was about to answer him when my headset buzzed.

"Savannah, you're needed backstage. Raining Jane is on their last song."

I sighed.

"I'll take you to our table. You wanna sit with everyone?" I asked, offering my hand to him. He took it and so I figured that was an acceptance.

I guided him to the table, surprised to see Haley, Jake, and Ben had taken up residence there as well. I had no time to ask so I dropped Bryan off and then took off for backstage just as Raining Jane was leaving the stage and the DJ began to play.

"Great job!" I congratulated them as they headed for the dressing room. Truth was I had only caught the one song but regardless, I knew they were awesome.

They put their instruments away and let them be carted off for safe storage so that they weren't crowding the dressing room and the four girls could continue to enjoy their night.

"Dave Barnes, my man! You are next!" I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Has anyone told you tonight how gorgeous you are?" He asked me and I laughed.

"In fact, they have, but thank you. As soon as the crew gives me the clear I will be onstage introducing you and then you're set. You have everything you need?"

"I do." He nodded and then we just waited for the crew, laughing and joking until I got the word.

"Alright, let's go." I headed onstage and was again met with loud applause from the audience, "Hi again everyone! We have another talented performer for you tonight. He hails from South Carolina, not too far from here but he was raised in Mississippi. Most recently living in Nashville as he pursues his music career, please, a round of applause for Dave Barnes!"

Luckily for me the dressing room did not need to be restocked and was currently empty as Keaton Simons must have headed out to mingle and from what I knew, Marc Broussard and Gavin DeGraw had not yet arrived. I took a quick look at my watch and smiled. It was 9:15. We were right on schedule.

"Peyton, I think, judging by the time schedule, between Keaton and Marc Broussard we may want to take an extended dance break because we have 2 hours and 45 minutes before midnight but we probably only have 2 hours of entertainment including the 15 minute intervals for set change."

Peyton responded into the headset almost immediately.

"Do 30 minutes after Keaton and then ask Marc and Gavin when they arrive if they would each like to do 2 extra songs a piece, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." I sighed and looked up at the table where everyone was mingling.

A lot of things began to run through my head. First, everyone seemed to be doing fine. Second, did anyone tell Bryan that Nathan was my date for the night yet? Third, how was everyone doing fine? That was a very awkward mix of people I remember leaving at the table. Fourth, do I have to go back to the table?

"Excuse me sir. You stole my stool." I teased Jake when I got back to the table. He had indeed pulled up my stool right next to Nathan and surprisingly, no one at the table seemed to mind.

"I can move." He offered immediately and I laughed.

"I'm just kidding Jake. Chances are I'll only be able to sit for a minute anyway." Nathan wrapped his arm around my waist and I was comfortable just standing next to him, my arm resting on his shoulder as I tried to catch up on whatever it was they were talking about.

"Will you go to the bar with me for a second?" Nathan whispered in my ear.

I nodded quickly and moved enough so that he could stand from his stool.

"We're gonna run to the bar. Anyone need anything?" I asked the group.

Everyone said they were fine so we headed off towards the bar, Nathan grabbing my hand as he led our way through the crowd.

"So now that Bryan's here, am I supposed to refrain from kissing you?" Nathan called out to me, loud enough so I could hear him above Dave Barnes who was currently singing his third song.

"No." I frowned at him, "I broke up with him. I figured I would tell you all about it tomorrow or something but he knew I had a date tonight and came anyway, so you are in no way expected to feel uncomfortable just because he's here."

"Does he know I'm your date?" Nathan glanced over at the table and we both realized Bryan and Haley were both watching us closely.

"I don't know." I smiled up at him and pulled him in closer, turning my head to whisper in his ear instead of yell over the music, "But they're both watching and now it looks like I'm doing naughty things to your ear from their vantage point."

"Naughty things huh?" Nathan grinned at me and leaned down to kiss me very softly, "Maybe I'll let you later."

The bartender came over then, asking us what we wanted to order. I ordered a Shirley Temple and Nathan ordered a Coke.

Nathan and I stood there, my back to the bar, him standing in front of me running his fingers over my hip bones, a place where my dress clung particularly tightly.

I stared up into his eyes and he stared back into my eyes but neither of us spoke. A slight smile was playing on his lips and I could feel mine growing too. Surrounded by music and people and noise, the two of us just relaxed comfortable in our own silence.

"I'm glad you broke up with him." Nathan said after a little while of us just staring at each other.

"Yeah?" I thanked the bartender when he brought us our drinks but made no move to head back to our table, "Why?"

"That means I get you all to myself now." Nathan sipped his Coke and then tapped the tip of my nose with his index finger.

"Did you want me all to yourself?" I sipped my Shirley Temple and then pulled a cherry out of it with a grin, "You want a cherry?"

I dangled it in front of him as seductively as I could manage without giggling.

"Sure." He reached for it but I pulled it just out of his reach and shook my head no, placing it instead between my teeth and grinning at him.

I beckoned him forward and he leaned in, taking the cherry from my mouth with his and then kissing me passionately, using the hand not carrying his drink to pull me away from the bar and against his body. When we pulled apart we were both laughing hysterically which we did for a good five minutes.

"You guys have been such a great audience tonight. Thanks for coming out and supporting the cause. This is gonna be my last song tonight. It's called Crazyboutya."

"_You don't have to tell me, girl, I know it and hallelujah is coming out my mouth . Cause you're my girl and girl I don't deserve you, but deserving love is not what you're about. I'm gonna tell the whole wide world about you. Tell them what you mean to me."_

Nathan and I turned to watch him sing his last song, his arm wrapped around my waist, both of us sipping our drinks. I knew I should probably start heading backstage again but I didn't want to. It was too much fun to just hang out with Nathan, not worrying about Bryan or Haley or tension or anything at all.

"_On a night like this I could fall in love. I could fall in love with you. In this dark so dense, we talk so soft. The way young lovers do."_

"Savannah." I heard Peyton in my headset and sighed.

"I'm on it Peyton." I replied before she could even ask me to head back to the dressing room, "I gotta head backstage Nate."

"Can I come with you?" He asked.

I could see no reason to say no so I nodded and he took my hand again, leading me through the crowd.

"_The day's last sight turns to cool night's breeze. And this love hangs thick like these willow leaves. I've hid myself away from this. But your silhouette is the Judas kiss. On a night like this I could fall in love. I could fall in love with you."_

Nathan and I stood in the dressing room with Keaton who was waiting to go onstage when Dave Barnes was finished.

"Dude, your girlfriend has been the best, helping us get settled and getting this concert set up." Keaton shook Nathan's hand and smiled at me.

"Oh, Keaton, I'm not…"

"Thanks." Nathan smiled at me, effectively shutting me up and I eyed him but didn't continue, "She is the best."

"Great job." I offered to Dave when he came into the dressing room, "We're so lucky to have such amazing talent here tonight."

"We're lucky you asked." Dave responded, "Where else were we going to be able to play a charity concert on New Year's Eve where the staff takes such great care of us?"

"Well, we try." I laughed.

We all stood around talking and joking for a bit while the DJ took care of entertaining the crowds while the crew fixed up the stage. Marc Broussard and his band arrived while we were all still talking so there was a whole new round of introductions for the people who had never met before. I was able to tell Marc he would have a little extra time onstage if he wanted it and the only interruption came when Karen walked into the dressing room. It was the first time I had seen her all night.

"Karen!" I hugged her and she smiled around at everyone, "You guys this is Karen. She's the owner of the club. Karen this is Dave Barnes, Keaton Simons, Marc Broussard and um… let me see if I remember all of your names." I squinted at the members of Marc's band, "Calvin, Chad, DeMarco and… Court. Did I get them right?"

"Yes you did darlin'." Marc's southern drawl was enough to make any girl melt. I think Karen almost did.

Karen shook all of their hands and it was about this time we needed to get Keaton onstage so he and I headed out leaving Nathan and Karen with the musicians.

"Are you all having fun so far?" I yelled at the audience when I was onstage.

"Alright, we are getting closer and closer to midnight. Your next performer is from Good 'Ol Los Angeles. He is crazy talented and one of the nicest guys I have ever met. Please welcome Keaton Simons!"

Keaton headed up onstage and I headed off, meeting Nathan outside the dressing room.

"I restocked everything in there so you are free to do whatever you want to now."

"Whatever I want to?" I raised an eyebrow and wrapped my arms around his neck, his resting around my waist.

"Yes. Whatever you want."

We were mere centimeters apart when Marc Broussard interrupted, exiting the dressing room.

"Sorry." He eyed us, "Did I interrupt?"

"No." I pulled away from Nathan and laughed it off, "What's up?"

"Can you point me in the direction of Haley James? I didn't get to see her performance but I heard she was great and I wanted to see about getting her to duet with me later."

"Yeah. We'll take you there." I grabbed Nathan's hand so he couldn't try to run away.

When we arrived back at the table everyone was laughing and having a good time. It looked like Jake was telling some sort of story about Ben but we only caught the tail end of it and then we had to disrupt the fun.

"Hey."

"Hey!" Brooke reached behind herself where I was standing and hugged me, "You left a long time ago! Where have you been?"

I laughed, figuring she had somehow managed to find alcohol with the way she was acting.

"I was doing my job silly." I hugged her back as Nathan moved to take his stool again, "You guys this is Marc Broussard. He will be going on in a little bit. Marc these are all my friends."

I named them off one by one ending with Haley.

"And of course, Haley James."

Marc shook Haley's hand.

"I missed your set earlier but I heard you were fantastic."

"Thank you." Haley grinned from ear to ear, "I'm looking forward to your set. I heard great things about you from Gavin when I toured with him last year."

"He told me great things about you too."

I could see Haley melting under that Louisiana southern drawl and for that matter, every female eye at the table was staring at him like he was a God.

"I was wondering if you would sing a duet with me later." Marc asked Haley, "Savannah says I get a little extra time onstage so I thought I'd squeeze in something no one's heard before."

"That would be awesome!" Haley was visibly excited, "What do you want to sing?"

"There's this song I caught you singing during rehearsals this week. I don't know if you sang it earlier… Deep City Lights?"

Haley bit her lip nervously but nodded.

"It's not really named yet but uh… are you sure you want to sing my song?"

"If you don't want to…"

"No. No." Haley stopped him mid-sentence, "It's not that. I just figured that your stuff is so much better and…"

"That song has been in my head since I first heard it." Marc smiled at her, "Would you come to the dressing room and teach it to me so we can sing it together?"

"Absolutely." Haley giggled as she stood, hugging Jake quickly and then she was gone, whispering a quick bye to everyone and then following Marc back to the dressing room.

"What song is it that he's talking about?" I asked, moving her now vacated stool so I could sit with Nathan.

"It's one she wrote like a day ago." Ben spoke up, "It's not really finished I don't think but I'm sure they'll pull it off."

I nodded and looked around at my friends. Bryan was staring at me but I chose to ignore that. I knew he knew now that Nathan was my date but he hadn't had a chance to say anything yet. I kind of wanted to know what he was thinking but then again, I didn't really.

"Ahh!" Peyton came up behind me and grabbed me suddenly, scaring me half to death as she and everyone else laughed, "Finally, a moment to relax. You're doing a great job by the way."

"Thank you." I smiled at her as she moved to perch on Xander's lap.

I watched Xander whisper something in her ear that made her giggle and then he kissed her and I could see the love in their eyes. It was sweet and romantic. It occurred to me suddenly how happy I was that my brother had found someone so perfect for him.

I relaxed for awhile, listening and observing the people around me while I leaned against Nathan. I watched the way that Brooke always put her hand over Lucas's when she laughed, as if she wanted to make sure he knew she was sharing the moment with him. I watched Tim and Camille make silly faces at each other, like the did usually, but every time I saw it I was reminded that he perfectly complimented Camille, bringing her out of her serious side and embracing the silliness of life. Even Bevin and Skillz, I watched and noticed how attentive he was to her needs. Despite everyone always treating Bevin like she was just a dumb airhead cheerleader, he listened to her and you could see in her eyes that he made her feel more important.

Bryan was still staring at me.

"Hey, I'll be right back. I'm gonna talk to Bryan for a second ok?" I whispered to Nathan.

He nodded and kissed my temple before I slipped from my stool and went around the table, asking Bryan to take a walk with me for a second.

I led him out the back door so that we could be in a relatively quiet place and still have privacy. For a second we both just stood there, looking at each other, sizing each other up.

"Why won't you stop staring at me in there?" I finally just asked bluntly.

"Nathan, Savannah? Your date is Nathan?"

"What is your issue with Nathan?" I defended myself before realizing I didn't really need to defend my choices to him anymore.

"I just think it's funny." Bryan looked at me, a slight smirk on his face, "He's married, you do still realize that right?"

"They are separated." I groaned, "Are we seriously having this conversation?"

"Are you seriously dating him?"

"We're not even dating! He's my date for tonight yes but we're not dating on a regular basis no and regardless, our relationship or lack thereof is none of your business!"

"I was your boyfriend up until less than an hour ago!"

"Non-exclusive boyfriend need I remind you because YOU did not want to commit to me. That was your choice Bryan, not mine."

"You know why…"

"Yes. I do know why but the reasoning behind it doesn't change the reality of it ok?" I knew I was probably more worked up over this conversation than I needed to be but I was already so tired of trying to explain Nathan and I to people, "Look, I want to be friends with you Bryan. It is insane that two people who have known each other their whole lives, who dated and broke up once before, can't be friends now that they're older, more mature, and weren't even dating exclusively this time. We should be fine right now."

"I love you." Bryan clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at me, "It's not like I don't want you exclusively Savannah. I would give the world to have you exclusively but you and I both know that me being in Chapel Hill going to school and you being in Tree Hill in school… it wouldn't work."

"You never gave us the chance to try so you have no right to be mad at me now when I broke up with you." I just shook my head at him, "Please, just let this end so that we can be friends."

"I don't want to be your friend." Bryan shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, a sure sign that he was not going to cooperate with this conversation any longer.

"You said earlier that if we're meant to be we'll come back together in the end." I took a step closer to him and put my hand over his, trying to get him to see where I was coming from, "If we can't be friends now, how are we ever going to have the chance to come back together?"

He took a step back and effectively severed the contact between us. He shook his head and reached for the handle of the door.

"My choice to be non-exclusive. Your choice to break up. Which one of us made the bigger mistake?"

He disappeared inside the club and I knew that I wouldn't see him again for awhile. He would probably go inside, say bye to everyone and take off. It's what I had done at the party he broke up with me at two years ago.

I didn't want to go back inside yet. I didn't want anyone to ask questions so I just stood and leaned on the railing outside, letting the cold December air flush my cheeks.

"Hey." Camille joined me outside and leaned against the railing next to me, "Why are you out here all by yourself?"

"I didn't want to go back inside yet." I sighed, turning to look at her.

"Bryan left." She said. He was so predictable that way.

"I figured he would. We are completely over." I told her and she frowned, "Don't do that to me. Don't frown. It's the right thing for us right now."

"He just seemed so upset Savannah." Camille sighed, "I love you guys both so much I hate to see either of you upset, especially when it's because of something the other one did."

I heard myself sigh again and turned around so that my back was against the railing.

"I don't like the way things ended Cammie. I didn't want them to end that way you know? I wanted us to be friends. I wanted him to know that I still love him I just can't keep doing this non-exclusive thing with him. He gets jealous. I get jealous. It doesn't work."

"You know how he is Savannah. He isn't happy unless things go the way he wants them too. You breaking up with him was not in his master plan and so it's going to take him awhile to come around to being your friend… but he will." Camille hugged me, "Come back inside before Nathan freaks out ok?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious. When he saw Bryan leave I thought he was going to jet out here to you."

I reached for the door handle and she followed me inside, the two of us laughing as we headed back to the table.

"You ok?" Nathan asked the second I was back at his side.

I nodded and smiled at him, hoping he would drop the subject and thankfully he did.

Keaton finished up his set and I looked at my watch, beginning the timer for 30 minutes so I knew when to get Marc onstage. I had no idea what the set list was going to be now that he had added Haley into his mix. It would be interesting at least.

"Hey." Gavin DeGraw suddenly joined us at the table and it was a whole round of introductions again.

He smiled and was polite to everyone. I couldn't believe that we had lucked out with booking such a great, down to earth bunch of musicians. Peyton and I took a minute to tell him that he would have extra time onstage and then after that it was like he was one of our group, just laughing and hanging out with us while we all went back to relaxing like we should have been the whole time.

The half hour between sets went way too quickly and I found myself rushing back to the dressing room to usher Marc and his band onstage.

"Hey you guys, you're up?" I grinned at all of them, Haley included, as they were all sitting there chilling in the dressing room. I noticed Haley had a beer in her hand but I didn't say anything. As long as she didn't get caught I didn't care, "I'm headed on stage to introduce you. You ready?"

"Of course we're ready darlin.' Here, we wrote out the new set list for you. We need Haley's band to join us for these two songs ok?"

I looked it over and saw two songs that hadn't been on there before. I nodded when he pointed out the songs he needed Haley's band for and promised I'd get them there at the right time.

The time between when he went on stage and the time that Haley and her band needed to be onstage with him went very quickly. We had all been hanging out at the table when Marc announced that he wanted Haley James and her band to join him onstage.

We all cheered extra loudly as they headed there and then we sat back, unsure of what we were in store for.

It took a minute or two to move everything around on the stage but finally Haley had a keyboard she was sitting at, Marc standing next to her. His band had exited the stage but handed their instruments over to her band and then it began.

"_We met on a rainy evening in the summertime. Don't think I need to tell you more. I needed a raise I worked so hard for this love of mine, love of mine. Still I got nothing to show for it." Haley started the upbeat song on her keyboard and then looked to Marc as she continued to play. "Here's a simplification of everything we're going through. You plus me is bad news. But you're a lovely creation, I like to think that I am too. But my friends said I look better without you."_

She smiled out at the crowd and laughed as Marc began to dance.

"_Tongue tied and twisted, go on baby, and go to my head."_

Together they sang the chorus.

"_Babe, baby believe me. If I stay it ain't gonna be easy. Okay we'll do it your way, but this is the last time, you'll hear the beautiful sound of love coming down. Love on the rocks."_

"_You love the chase but hate me for the runaround. We both just tired of the whole thing. And you tell me what you want you need you know you have to have. And I just pretend I'm listening." Marc sang his ass off no matter what he sang and this was no doubt, " Too tired this time to deal with old suits you wear and ties that won't bind."_

Again they sang the chorus together.

"_Baby, baby believe me. If I stay it ain't gonna be easy. Okay we'll do it your way, but this is the last time. You'll hear the beautiful sound of love coming down."_

"_Hot as hell. Cold as ice." _Haley began a refrain simple.

"_Sip it slow cause it's so nice." _Marc alternated.

"_Dulls my senses drives my pain but I do it again."_

"_Burns a bit to the touch, dangerous if it's too much."_

"_If this bottle could talk…. Love on the Rocks."_ Haley held the note for the word rocks for what seemed like forever and every single person in the room stopped what they were doing to take notice as Marc just closed his eyes and listened to her sing like he was inhaling her soul.

Ben, Jake, and Marc sang the chorus behind Haley as she did a few runs with her voice.

"_Babe, baby believe me. If I stay it ain't gonna be easy. Okay we'll do it your way, but this is the last time."_

Haley joined them in saying one more time…

"_Baby, baby, baby, baby believe me… You'll hear the beautiful sound of love coming down."_

The crowd erupted in cheers unlike any they had done all night. All of us at the table including Gavin and even Nathan stood and whistled and screamed. She should have sung that song during her set. It was amazing.

"Ya'll, I don't know what you think but I think this girl has an amazing voice." Marc said to the crowd and Haley blushed as they all began to scream again, "She and I have planned one more song for you. Let me tell ya'll a little story right quick."

Marc pulled up a stool from the side of the stage and sat down on it, making himself comfortable.

"So this week, we all get into town a bit early to coordinate rehearsals and meet with the amazing staff, thank you Peyton and Savannah by the way."

"They're amazing aren't they?" Haley said into her mic with a smile towards us and Peyton and I both found ourselves blushing this time.

"Anyway, so we get here early and we're here at the club to meet with Peyton and Savannah and I hear someone singing. Now we're backstage, wandering around, talking, not doin' nothing special but I find I have to stop and listen to this voice. This amazing voice that is coming from somewhere and I don't know where but it's around. I ask Savannah and Peyton who is singing and they're like 'Oh, that's Haley James.' Now, ya'll know who's on after me right? Gavin DeGraw?"

The crowd screamed and Marc nodded.

"Gavin and I are buddies and without meeting Ms. Haley James here I go back to my hotel and tell Gavin about this girl with this voice who was singing this song I could not get out of my head. Turns out, Gavin knows Ms. Haley James. They toured together last year and he says to me 'Marc, this girl puts her soul into her music. Her heart and her very being goes into her music and guess how old she is?'"

We all start laughing immediately as does Haley.

"So I say, 'well, probably about 25, 26.' Cause I didn't meet her and to be honest if I had, I would have guessed the same age. But Gavin tells me she's 17 and I yell what?"

He pauses again while everyone laughs.

"To make a long story short ya'll, I missed her set earlier because I was sleepin'. Yeah, I was tired and so when I got here, I knew I had to ask her to sing with me so I got Savannah to introduce us, asked Ms James to sing with me and well, the rest is history. This is the song that she was singing earlier this week that I heard and couldn't stop hearing in my head all week long. She just wrote it a few days ago, hasn't really even named it, but she's debuting it tonight just for ya'll because I asked her too. We're calling it City."

The song started almost hauntingly, just the keyboard playing softly and after a few seconds, Haley began to sing.

"_There's a harvest each Saturday night. At the bars filled with perfume and hitching a ride. A place you could stand for one night and get gone. It's clear this conversation ain't doing a thing. 'Cause these boys only listen to me when I sing and I don't feel like singing tonight. All the same songs."_

"_Here in these deep city lights. We could get lost tonight. I'm finding every reason to be gone. There's nothing here to hold on to. Could I hold you?" _The chorus they sang together and their voices blended so well, his baritone just perfectly complementing her voice which floated between alto and soprano.

"_The situation's always the same. You got your wolves in their clothes whispering Hollywood's name. Stealing gold from the silver they see but it's not me." _Marc sang the second verse, mostly with his eyes clothes but when he opened them, he only looked at Haley, connecting in a way that was palatable even from our seats.

"_Here in these deep city lights, we could get lost tonight. I'm finding every reason to be gone, there's nothing here to hold on to. Could I hold you?"_

"_Calling out. Somebody save me I feel like I'm fading away. Am I gone?" _Haley sang.

"_Calling out somebody save me I feel like I'm fading…" _Marc faded away and Ben added to the song a guitar solo which just hyped everyone up to hear more of this beautiful song.

"_No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no, NO…." _Haley again held the note for no, so long that she met Marc at the chorus, _"Deep city lights, we could get lost tonight. I'm finding every reason to be gone, there's nothing here to hold on to. Could I hold on to… you?"_

"I actually managed to forget how talented she is until tonight." Nathan whispered to me while everyone as still cheering loudly for Marc and Haley, "I'm kind of glad she went back on tour."

I was more than extremely surprised to hear this revelation but I had no time to reply because suddenly I heard myself being beckoned to stage along with Peyton. I felt her grab my hand and then we were weaving our way towards the stage.

"So in case you don't know these two beautiful ladies this is Peyton and Savannah who have organized this wonderful evening for you. Please give them a round of applause."

The crowd cheered and Peyton and I both smiled, waiting to see if Marc wanted us up there for anything else.

"Thank you ladies." Marc smiled and we figured that was our cue to head offstage but since we were near the dressing room we decided to step in there before going back to our seats while Marc continued his set.

"Haley, that was amazing!" Peyton exclaimed as we sat on the couch where Haley was sitting, her head buried in her hands.

"Thanks." Haley looked up and she was smiling nervously, "Are you sure? I feel unworthy."

"You are so far beyond worthy it's not even funny. You're the best thing that happened to that stage tonight." Ben said before either Peyton or I could speak up.

"He's right Haley. You were amazing. Even Nathan said so." I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Really? You're not lying to make me feel better."

"I don't lie Haley. You should know that by now." I patted her leg, "I'm serious. He said he had forgotten how talented you were until you were on that stage tonight."

That must have made the rest of Haley's night because after that moment she seemed to be floating on air. She danced and sang along with Gavin's set when he came onstage. She seemed to be having a genuinely good time and as I realized that midnight was approaching rapidly, I knew I had to find Nathan so that we could have a genuine good time as well.

"Hey there you." I slid onto the stool next to Nathan at our now vacant table and looked over where he was watching all our friends dance, "You wanna come out there with me? Couple more songs and it's gonna be midnight."

Nathan turned to me and smiled, putting his finger under my chin and pulling me forward to kiss me softly.

"Thank you for tonight." He whispered against my lips, "For being my date and for helping Haley achieve her dreams. I was thinking tonight, that if you hadn't called her that fateful night in New York, and she hadn't left me, she wouldn't have been on that stage tonight and Savannah, more than anything, I'm seeing that she deserves to be on that stage. I was holding her back."

"She would have loved for you to hold her back forever though." I smiled at him, "And eventually, you probably would have pushed her back to music again, it just would have taken he r a bit longer to get there."

"But that's the thing Savannah. She wouldn't have been on tour with Jake and Ben who helped her write those amazing songs. She wouldn't be here, tonight, singing with Marc Broussard or any of this." Nathan's smile was growing rapidly to a grin, "I know that it's only been a month since she and I split up and that seems like too short an amount of time for me to have this kind of realization, but this was all meant to be Savannah. She was supposed to leave me and go back on tour. She was supposed to meet Ben and hook up with Jake and most of all, I was supposed to be with you."

"Let's start the countdown ladies and gentleman. It's almost midnight. You better have found the person you want to kiss!" Gavin yelled onstage, laughing loudly as he took a swig of his beer and pointed to the girl I knew he had chosen for the occasion, motioning for her to join him onstage, "10, 9..."

"If it was all meant to be, where does that leave us now?" I asked, almost afraid of what his new revelation meant for us.

He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and shrugged.

"It leaves us where we are." He said simply.

"3... 2... 1. Happy New Year!"

Nathan's lips connected with mine in a simple yet passionate kiss. A kiss that meant everything and nothing at the same time. A kiss that answered my question and yet created ten more. A kiss that erased my mind and let me fall, deeper and deeper until it was just me and Nathan in that crowded club, kissing at midnight, for a moment that would hopefully shape our New Year.


	39. Chapter 37: Conversations at One AM

_**Author's Note: Hi again! Am I updating too much? I feel like maybe I'm overwhelming everyone with too many updates. I can slow down if you want. :) Um, this one is kind of short, but I like the way it turned out. Honest opinions are welcome! Tell me if you think it's not realistic to the story. Thanks again to the people who review! my2krazies, you are my muse! Once again, you gave me the idea for this chapter and I hope you like it! Thank you so much for reviewing! Oh and I think there might only be a few more chapters to this story although I plan on writing a sequel. We'll see! Enjoy! :)**_

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Conversations at One AM**

**Haley POV**

Silence. Silence was the best sound in the world. No reporters yelling my name. No cue cards to read. No songs to sing. No babies crying… wait. There was a baby crying.

I opened my right eye slowly and looked over at Jake who was changing Jenny's dirty diaper, something she hated having done. He looked up at me and cringed.

"I'm sorry. I know how tired you are with the media and the craziness lately." Jake sighed, "She was asleep. I didn't think she would cry."

He finished her diaper and I reached out to him, motioning for him to give her to me.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded and he placed her in my arms.

"Shh… it's ok baby girl." I rocked her back and forth the best that I could with how big she was getting now. At 18 months she seemed to be getting bigger every single day.

When Jenny wouldn't stop fussing I knew there was only one thing to do. Jake knew it to as he stood over us, smiling.

"_I wish you freedom. I wish you peace. I wish you nights of stars that beckon you to sleep. I wish you heartache that leaves you more of a man. I wish I could be there, but I can't."_ The lyrics didn't exactly apply but it was a song Marc Broussard had written for his son and it seemed to always work to get Jenny to fall asleep, _"I wish you places that sit so still. Where people never ever change, never ever will. I wish I could hold you and make you understand. I wish I could be there, but I can't."_

Her eyes fluttered closed and I knew the song was working it's charm.

"_Be good for your mama cause she'll need a hand to hold. Boy, she loves you more than you'll ever know. There are rhymes and there are reasons. And times when nothing stayed the same, but you know my love still remains."_

Jake sat down gently next to us and kissed my forehead, running his hand over Jenny's leg softly as I continued to sing.

"_I wish you wisdom. I wish you years. I wish you all these to conquer all your fears. I wish you courage from all that life demands. I wish I could be there, but I can't."_

I paused for a second, knowing that she was sound asleep now so I could stop singing but Jake nudged me and whispered "keep singing" so I did, skipping the second chorus and going straight to the last verse.

"_I wish we were together. I wish I was home. I wish there were nights where I was never alone. You know I've said it and I'll say it once again. I wish I could be there, but I can't."_

We sat in comfortable silence for a minute and I was almost wishing I could just lean my head back and fall asleep like Jenny, peaceful, silent, and breathing easy. I knew it would only take a few more minutes of holding her before my arm would go dead though and then I wouldn't be able to get up and take her to her bed so I bit the bullet and stood, heading into her nursery and laying her in her crib gently. A quick reassuring word and then she had grabbed her "bankie" and turned over to fall back asleep.

"Good job." Jake praised me when I came back in the living room, bowing at his quiet applause, "You always get her with that song."

"It's the only foolproof way to get her to go to sleep." I laughed, falling onto the couch next to him, laying down almost immediately with my head in his lap, "I'm so tired."

"It's been crazy lately hasn't it?" Jake sighed, running his fingers through my hair, "Tour starts in a couple months…"

The last four months had been a whirlwind. We came back to Los Angeles the day after New Years and immediately the mania began. We were in the studio recording, in meetings with record execs, at a photo shoot, or some other event almost every second of every day. Then the CD was recorded and it was the media run from hell to make sure it got a push before the day of release. Love Song was released as the first single and it had immediately jumped up the Billboard charts making it to 1 in record time. There were radio interviews and TV interviews and late night talk shows and I thought I was going to lose my mind. Luckily for me Jake had been with me every step of the way, keeping me sane and making sure that despite all the craziness, I was taken care of.

I had started to rely on him in a way. I suppose we sorted of relied on each other. Sure, I was the one becoming a superstar but he was in the band and he sang duets with me and he had to deal with going out with me in public. The constant media pressure of being Haley James' boyfriend. The paparazzi. When it stressed him out, as I expected it would stress out anyone, it was me who he turned to. He talked things out with me and told me his fears. If nothing else, I knew that Jake and I communicated with each other excellently.

"What are you thinking?" Jake asked.

It was his favorite question to ask me when I was quiet because he knew me too well not to realize I was always thinking about something.

"You." I smiled at him and he smiled back, "I think we are going to need to hire a nanny soon. I know you don't like the idea of someone else raising Jenny, but we are going to need someone to tour with us and watch her when we're busy."

Jake sighed loudly. This was a subject I had tried to broach many times and he always said we'd figure things out later. Unfortunately, later was coming up very quickly.

"I just don't like the idea of a stranger having control of my daughters life in any way." Jake said, "I would have no problem with a nanny if it was someone we knew but… I don't know Haley. I've been through so much with Nikki and Jenny…"

"You don't trust anyone with Jenny. I know." I nodded, understanding the position he took on the subject, "We have to hire someone Jake. It's been hard enough with the interviews and shows we've been doing, let alone when we're touring too? I totally understand your apprehension but we have to do something."

"It's times like these when I wish Nikki could have been a better mother. It would have been so much easier to have a parent who could keep Jenny safe while we're on tour."

I knew he was right. We'd been talking a lot in the last four months with Marc Broussard and some of the other artists we had met at New Years and in the months since. A lot of them had kids but almost every one of them who did, their babies other parent stayed home while they went on tour and that meant the kids stayed home. While it would have been easier if Nikki could keep Jenny while we toured, it also would never work because Jake wouldn't be able to stand not having Jenny with him for that long a period of time.

"What about one of your sisters? Would they tour with us? Watch Jenny? I'd feel much safer with one of them."

I shook my head no.

"The only one who doesn't have kids of her own is Taylor and if you knew Taylor you know that she's not trustworthy to watch a baby."

Jake groaned.

"I wish one of our friends was available. What about Lucas? Lucas is trustworthy."

"Lucas just got accepted to Chapel Hill on a basketball scholarship. As soon as he graduates he's going to have ten million things to do so that he can be prepared when he goes to college in the fall. Oh, speaking of graduation, we are supposed to be in Tree Hill May 18th until the 24th to participate in senior activities."

"I still can't believe you convinced Principal Turner to let us graduate." Jake laughed, "I missed the entire school year and somehow you got him to give us minimal amounts of catch up work."

"Being Haley James has it's perks." I giggled, "I'm excited about graduation actually. Are you?"

"I am." Jake was smiling down at me, "One whole week in Tree Hill with friends and family and maybe, just maybe, the paparazzi won't follow us there."

"Doubtful." I groaned, "I forgot for a minute about the paparazzi. That could complicate things. I have successfully managed to keep it out of the press that Nathan and I are still married but when I graduate as Haley James-Scott, someone might figure it out."

"I still don't understand why, if you could get Principal Turner to let us graduate in the first place, how you couldn't convince him to just graduate you as Haley James."

"Because legally my name is still Haley James-Scott." I frowned, "Remind me to talk to PR about that. We're going to need a very good spin on the marriage thing."

"You sound so professional when you talk like that." Jake slid down next to me in one swift movement so that my head was no longer on his lap but was now on his chest as we cuddled on the couch, "Say it again."

"Remind me to talk to PR about that?" It was more a question than a statement this time and we both began to laugh, "I want to send them advance copies of the CD. That way they all know before it comes out what songs are on it."

"PR?" Jake asked with a raised brow.

"No silly, our friends!" I rolled my eyes, "Peyton, Brooke, Lucas, Savannah… Nathan?"

"Oh, right." Jake smiled, "So send them. We have a box in the office."

I nodded. I had been putting off sending the CD's actually. The release date was now only two weeks away and yet I still hadn't put their copies in the mail. I was sort of afraid. I didn't want them to hate it but I wasn't sure they were going to like it either.

"You have nothing to be worried about." Jake, as he usually did, read my thoughts, "They're going to love it. All of them."

I knew by "all of them" he really meant Nathan. Nathan was the one I was worried about. He had seemed so cool when we left after New Years, even going so far as to congratulate me on a job well done, but I still wasn't sure where we stood. Were we friends? Were we even on speaking terms? Did he still love me? Did I still love him? It had only been five months since our breakup but so much had happened in that time. Everything was up in the air now.

"Stop being so introspective." Jake nudged me, "Talk to me."

"I worry about Nathan." I admitted with a sigh, "I know he's moving on and so am I but, I also know that there is music on the CD that is about him and I just, I don't want him to hear it and take steps backwards you know? I've come to terms with having left and that we're not getting back together. I think he has too but, I just… don't know."

"And you won't know until you actually talk to him." Jake replied as if it were the most simple thing in the world to do.

"Yeah, and we all know how well he and I talking went last time." I rolled my eyes, "It's not that easy Jake. I wish it was."

"Me too." Jake kissed my forehead and wrapped me tighter in his arms, "For your sake I wish everything was easy."

"Thanks." I let myself relax in his arms, closing my eyes and inhaling him, "You smell good."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like… soap and cookies."

Jake began to laugh.

"Soap and cookies? Yeah, that's attractive."

"You have an 18 month old daughter Jake. What did you think you were going to smell like? The rugged outdoors of mountain climbing and hiking?"

We stared at each other for a moment and probably would have kissed had I not had the sudden and irrepressible urge to yawn.

"Your breath does NOT smell good." Jake laughed again as I yawned in his face, "Go brush your teeth dirty girl."

"Dirty girl huh?" I stood as if I was headed to the bathroom and then without warning attacked him to tickle him, "I'll show you dirty mister."

"Yeah?" Jake asked through his laughter as I continued to giggle, "Oh please, show me dirty."

"Jake!" Suddenly I realized that dirty to him meant sexual and I smacked his arm playfully, "Mind out of the gutter mister."

"Not with you in the room." Jake raised an eyebrow at me suggestively, "Go brush your teeth so I can show you dirty."

A couple hours later when we lay in bed, happily sated, Jake held me to his side as he stared up at the ceiling. We both fell into our own thoughts, mine again going back to Nathan, and his reaction to the CD. I didn't want to hurt him anymore. I needed him to be ok with it.

"I'll be back in a little bit." I kissed Jake softly and slipped from the bed.

He didn't ask where I was going or what I was going to do. He just smiled at nodded. I loved that he trusted me unconditionally. It was one of the main things that drew me closer to him every day.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Were you asleep?" I said into my cell phone as I wrapped myself in a light blanket on the balcony attached to my living room. Springtime air in Los Angeles was still slightly chilly at night but when having this conversation, I knew I wanted to be outside.

"Yeah, but it's ok. What's up? Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"I'm fine." I smiled, knowing he couldn't see it but he would probably hear it, "I just needed to talk."

"Ok." Lucas paused, "Are you sure you're okay? What's going on Haley?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately… and while things are going really well for me out here and I am moving on from Nathan… um, I still have a lot of questions. It's sort of like for every step forward I take I want to make sure that he's taking the same steps or I feel like I'm not worthy to be taking them." It was a lot to admit but I was going to have to be honest with Lucas if I had any chance of being honest with Nathan.

"He's good Haley." Lucas assured me, "I mean, I'm not his first choice for people to confide in on a regular basis, but from what I see everyday at school and when we're hanging out, he's good. He got into Duke."

"Seriously?" Duke was where Nathan had been wanting to go to college forever as far as I knew, "Playing basketball?"

"Yep." Lucas was smiling from what I could hear, "Full scholarship. Dan's thrilled, of course, threw him a party which none of us attended."

"Seriously?" I laughed, "He threw a party and no one went?"

"Well people went, just not any of us. Savannah actually specifically planned a celebration dinner for Nathan on the same night at the same time so we all had alibi's."

"I bet Dan was pissed huh?"

"He wasn't pleased." Lucas laughed, "Anyway, what about you? I've been recording your TV appearances. I watch them whenever I get the chance."

"Yeah, things are good here. We go on tour starting June 1st, so like a week after graduation. The album will officially be released April 29, so two weeks from now."

"And where is my advance copy I was promised?" Lucas teased and I cringed.

"I have it in my office but I haven't sent it yet." I wrinkled my nose, "I'm sorry Luke I just, that's kind of why I needed to know how Nate was doing. I didn't want to send you guys copies of the CD's and then he hears it and I mess things up for him again, you know?"

"You should call him." Lucas suggested.

"I doubt he would answer." I replied, "I wouldn't want to talk to me if I was him."

"He'll answer Haley and if he doesn't, leave him a message. Explain why you're calling. All you can do is try right?" Lucas waited for me to reply but I didn't know what to say. I didn't think it was a good idea to call Nathan but it might be the only way for me to get answers.

"Is his number the same?" I asked tentatively.

"No. He changed it but I will give the new number to you. Hold on." Lucas set his phone down and I sighed, waiting for him to come back but also worrying that this was a bad idea, "Ok, ready?"

I had Lucas wait while I grabbed a pen and paper from inside and then wrote it down when he gave it to me.

"Luke, are you sure I should do this? I'm scared."

"Call him. It's only… one am here. He'll answer."

"Because he's awake?"

"Because he won't be awake enough to read the caller ID." Lucas laughed, "I love you best friend. Call him."

"Ok."

Lucas and I said our goodbyes and I immediately dialed Nathan's number, knowing that if I waited or hesitated for a moment, I would never actually call him. I frowned when Savannah answered.

"Um, hi Savannah. It's Haley."

"Hi Haley." She groaned and I could tell she had been asleep, "You realize it's 1 am?"

"I do. Sorry, um, Lucas suggested I call now so I did." I figured if I blamed Lucas at least we wouldn't start the call with Nathan being overly pissed at me, "Is Nathan around?"

"Yeah, hold on." Savannah sighed and I heard her trying to wake him up, suddenly making me realize that they were in the same bed. I had almost forgotten that they were sort of really together now, as a couple.

"Hello?" Nathan finally got on the phone, yawning in my ear as he spoke.

"Hey, it's Haley. I'm sorry I woke you guys up." I sighed, "I just wanted to talk to you and Luke told me to call now so that you wouldn't look at your caller ID and decide you didn't want to talk to me."

I knew I was rambling but I was even more nervous about the call now that Nathan was actually on the phone and I couldn't stop the rambling once it started.

"Ok." Nathan yawned for a second time, "What's up?"

Maybe he hadn't heard me when I said who I was. He was acting way too normal for him to know he was talking to me.

"Wait, you know who you're talking to right?"

"Yes Haley. I'm tired, not stupid." Nathan laughed which I took as a good sign, "What's up? You said you wanted to talk?"

"Well, yeah, but I could call later. I'm sorry. It was rude for me to call at this time and I know you're tired…"

"No, it's fine."

I could hear him moving around in the bed and I imagined that he would be sitting up right about now, the blankets falling off of him to reveal his naked chest, the moonlight streaming in through the window… Woah, not good. I should not be thinking those thoughts.

"So how are you?" I finally asked him, figuring idle chit chat was a good start.

"I'm good." Nathan sounded confused, "Haley, did you really just call to ask how I am or did you have something serious you needed to talk about?"

"Something serious…" I sighed, "I'm really nervous right now Nate. I didn't expect you to answer let alone be ok with talking to me at 1 am when I woke you up and I'm just a little… nervous."

"You don't have to be nervous to talk to me Haley." Nathan replied. I heard a door close on his end of the phone line and figured he, like I had done, was going to go somewhere that we could talk without bothering the people who lived with us. "I know that I've come a long way in the past four months since we saw each other last and I imagine that you have too so we should leave the awkwardness behind us. Talk like adults. After all you already turned 18 and I'll be 18 in two months."

I smiled. It would be nice to talk to him normally again. We hadn't talked normally in… well, five months.

"I heard you got into Duke." I started, finally feeling comfortable with the conversation, "That's so awesome. I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah, thank you. Um, I got a full basketball scholarship so I'm excited. It's what I always wanted for myself. What my dad always wanted for me. He threw me a party actually when he found out."

"Lucas told me that none of you went."

"Yeah." Nathan laughed, "We boycotted it. After everything on Christmas we all thought he would get better since he was so civil then you know? But of course, he didn't, especially with Savannah playing basketball again so we decided we would mess with him and we had our own dinner party the same night as his."

"I would have loved to see the look on his face when he realized you weren't going to be there." I grinned, not realizing until now how nice it was to just talk to Nathan.

"Yeah, it was great." Nathan said, "How about you? You've been all over magazines and TV lately. CD comes out in a couple weeks right?"

I was happy to hear that he actually knew something about what was going on in my life. That meant he was paying attention to my life which meant he had to be doing good. He had to be on better terms with our breakup.

"Yeah. Two weeks. It's coming out on April 29th."

"I'll make sure I go buy a copy. Support your music."

"Actually, I have copies to send to all of you. I just haven't sent them yet." We were getting closer to the real reason I had called now, "I uh… I wanted to make sure you were cool with it before I sent them."

"Cool with it? With sending us free CD's? I'm cool with that."

I laughed.

"No, with um, the album. With us. We haven't really talked and I… the truth is that I'm happy right now. Really happy but because of the way things ended with us, I don't fell like I deserve to be happy unless you are." My insights into myself had not come easily, but now that I had them, it was only right to let him know what I knew, "You have Savannah and I know that. And you have Duke and basketball and I know there are good things going on in your life, just like there are good things in my life, but are you happy?"

Nathan was quiet and for a second I thought he wasn't going to answer or that he had hung up on me. I began to panic, thinking I had overstepped my boundaries. Maybe I had no right to know if he was happy. Maybe…

"I'm happy." Nathan finally said simply, "The truth is Haley, you deserve everything you are getting right now. You deserve to have your music and your life and your achievements and Jake… I realized at New Years that I was holding you back and I probably should have shared that information with you sooner, so that you could feel a bit more worthy of success. I would have told you sooner had I known you weren't feeling like you deserved all this but trust me Haley, you deserve it. You have the most amazing voice I have ever heard in my life, honestly. It was all meant to be. Savannah was supposed to accidentally make that phone call to you from New York. You were supposed to leave me and go on tour again so you could get this recording contract and meet Ben and get together with Jake. You were supposed to make this CD and whatever comes with it, success or failure, that's meant to be too, although I hope it's a success. I can't see it failing. You're too amazing to fail."

I could feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. Not in a million years had I expected those words to come from Nathan Scott. I didn't know what to say.

"You still there?" Nathan asked quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, sorry." I sniffled a little trying to hold back my emotions, "I was trying to figure out how to respond. I… Thank you. For saying all those things. I don't know if I feel the same way or not. It feels weird to admit that maybe everything was meant to be because it caused so much pain for you and for me and I'm sure for everyone involved in our lives. To think we were all supposed to feel that pain, I don't know if I can agree with that but what I do think is I kind of knew from the beginning. I kind of knew from the moment Savannah Carter stepped into our lives, things were going to change. I tried so hard to stop them from changing. I didn't realize it then but my jealousy and anger… I was trying to keep her from changing everything because I was happy with you and I didn't want anything to change. It was sort of ironic when the very thing I was using to keep things from changing ended up changing everything."

We were both silent again for awhile, still soaking in the words of the other. For the first time in months I felt like he and I were back on the same page. We were moving at the same speed forward, into new and exciting lives. Moving on to new things.

"Are you excited about graduation?" I asked, breaking the silence and retreating to safer less emotional topics.

"Yes." Nathan said immediately, "The end of high school, finally. Wait, are you graduating? Will you be here?"

"Yeah. Principal Turner let Jake and I both do make up work and we are both going to be graduating with you guys."

"That's awesome Haley." Nathan sounded sincerely happy, "Hey listen, you can call me whenever. If you just need to talk or… whatever, don't feel like you can't talk to me ok? We still have to be married for seven more months and I'm hoping that we can at least be friends."

Friends, just friends, with Nathan. That was a new concept. I never in a million years thought I would ever consider that. The nature of our relationship was passionate, heated, volatile sometimes… I always figured it would be one way or the other. We would either be together or we would hate each other. Friends was a new, albeit nice, idea.

"I'd like that." I finally said quietly, "Think we can pull it off? Just friends?"

"We can at least try." Nathan yawned and I knew that I had kept him on the phone long enough. He was tired and I had interrupted his sleep.

"I'm gonna go Nate. You go back to sleep. We'll talk soon ok?"

"Ok. I better get that CD soon."

"It'll be in the mail tomorrow." I laughed, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I continued to sit on balcony for awhile, looking out over Hollywood, sighing contentedly. For the first time in awhile I felt like things were working out. Nathan and I were on speaking terms. I had an amazing boyfriend. I was becoming a successful musician. I lived in the Hollywood Hills. There wasn't really much else to ask for.

"Hey you…" Jake stood at the balcony door, smiling at me, "You coming to bed anytime soon?"

"Hey, sorry." I smiled back at him and beckoned him over to join me under my blanket on the chaise, "I called Nathan."

"You did?" Jake raised an eyebrow at me, "You realize how late it is over there right?"

I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, but he was really cool about it. We talked and… he's good. He got into Duke on a full basketball scholarship. He and Savannah seem like they're doing good. He said he was happy and… well, we just talked everything out. Maybe not everything but I realize now and so does he that whatever happened took place for a reason. He thinks it was meant to be and I don't know how I feel about that but I do know that we're on the same page emotionally, he and I, and to be in that place feels good. We agreed to try and be friends."

Jake was quiet for a minute, holding me, his breathing steady. I was worried for a second that I had offended him but then he took a deep breath and smiled.

"You're amazing." He said simply, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" I grinned.

"Be so amazing. I mean, what other person braves calling their soon to be ex husband when he's asleep and manages to have a good conversation?"

"Ah well, I told him it was Lucas's idea so in case he was mad Lucas would get the blame."

We both laughed and then settled back into a comfortable silence.

"Come to bed." Jake said simply, a few minutes later, "I don't like sleeping alone."

I nodded and stood with him, refolding the blanket and throwing it on the couch as we passed on the way to our bedroom.

"About the nanny thing…" Jake said as I was drifting off to sleep twenty minutes later.

"Hmm?"

"What about your parents? They travel all the time anyway don't they?"

I giggled slightly but continued my journey to dreamland.

"Go to sleep Jake. We'll talk about it later."


	40. Chapter 38: The Beginning to The End

**_Author's Note: So this is just a quick chapter that's setting things up for the end of this story and beginning of the sequel. I have a few ideas but I would love to know how you guys see this ending and what you would like to see in the sequel. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter also. You know I love you guys. You inspire me and I definitely wouldn't still be writing without you. You know who you are. :) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Please don't crucify me. I wrote Tim way out of normal character but I feel like it fits so... yeah. Enjoy :)_**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**The Beginning to The End of Life as We Know It**

**Camille POV**

Everyone around me was laughing and enjoying what was going to be the last week of life as we currently knew it. Senior activities were commencing today to end on Friday with Graduation, what should be the happiest day of any teenagers life really. And yet I couldn't join in. Laughing seemed pointless. Smiling seemed trivial. Just standing amongst so many happy people was almost unbearable.

"Can I take a pass on this whole thing? I'm not feeling that great." I asked Brooke as we stood with the rest of the cheerleaders, waiting to head into the gymnasium where our school awaited us.

"No. This is our last pep rally Cammie. The last time we will wear these uniforms because as of this pep rally, we are handing in our pom poms and letting the next generation take over. You can't pass this up. It's exciting!"

I frowned and wrinkled my nose at her.

"I don't really care." I said honestly.

Brooke groaned, looking around us and pulling me to the side.

"Is this about Tim?" She asked quietly so no one else would hear.

The truth was it had everything to do with Tim. The lie I told her was that it had nothing to do with my now ex-boyfriend.

"You're lying." Brooke pointed out blankly, "Camille, you know we love you right?"

Bevin joined us and nodded, agreeing with Brooke that they loved me.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"You are being ridiculous." Brooke laid it out straight to me and I fought off the urge to slap her for it, even though I knew she was right, "This whole thing with you and Tim is stupid. You're worse than you're brother with your commitment issues."

"I do not have commitment issues." I hissed at her, "It has nothing to do with that. Can we drop it already? I'll stay just… leave me alone."

"Fine." Brooke put her hand on my shoulder sort of reassuringly, "But we're here if you decide you want to talk about it."

I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about talking about it. There was nothing else to say.

"We are State Champions!" We turned to see the basketball team exiting the locker room from behind us, "This is our pep rally! For most of us it will be our last! Show some Raven Pride!"

"Yeah! Go Ravens!" Brooke yelled and everyone turned to look at her, smiling and laughing.

"Ravens on 3." Nathan led the team, "1...2...3..."

"Ravens!"

Trying to focus on something other than my now ex-boyfriend, I wondered why the basketball team was allowed to dress in suits and ties or in Savannah's case a nice dress and heels, while we, the cheerleading squad, still had to wear our uniforms. It didn't exactly seem fair. I didn't really have time to ponder it though because Brooke moved all of us cheerleaders towards the door and when we entered the gym, the whole school screamed and I was forced to plaster the smile on my face and pretend to be as happy as my friends were.

We lined up in two rows, our pom poms over our heads as the basketball team was announced and they came running out into the gym, between our lines as again the school screamed.

"Alright, alright." Principal Turner stood on the stage that had been built in the middle of the gymnasium floor, staring out at the crowd of students, "It is almost the end of the school year. For the seniors, this is your last week! Are you excited?"

The entire senior class screamed loudly as we cheerleaders joined the basketball team now sitting in the front row of the bleachers.

"We are going to start this pep assembly off the way we usually do. Please rise for the national anthem sung by our very own Haley James-Scott."

Haley appeared from nowhere, leaving all of us looking around at each other, wondering how that happened. Surprisingly enough, the only one of us who didn't seemed fazed was Nathan who smiled over at Savannah who squeezed his hand as if to reassure him. He didn't seem to need the reassurance though.

"_Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light. What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming; Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?" _Haley always put so much emotion into her music and even the national anthem seemed to come straight from her soul as she sang it a capella, _"And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there: Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"_

We all cheered for her as she smiled and handed the microphone back to Principal Turner then moved to sit in the bleachers as well. She sat in the front row on the opposite end from the rest of us and it was only then that we noticed Jake was here as well.

Principal Turner made a round of boring announcements next, sending me back into my thoughts as I tried to stay awake. I hadn't been getting much sleep lately, which I attributed to stress. Stress of losing my boyfriend. Stress of finals. Stress of graduating. Stress of moving to New York in a month. Stress of… pretty much everything.

I chanced a glance down the row at Tim who was sitting very solemnly with the rest of the team. I hadn't actually ever seen him so serious. He was always cracking a joke or being crazy. It hurt me even more to thing I had taken his sense of humor away by breaking up with him. If only I could make him understand that it was for his own good.

In the span of the next few months all of our lives were going to change. Lucas was moving in with Bryan and attending UNC Chapel Hill. Nathan was moving into a condo at Duke. He thought he was moving into dorms but Savannah bought a condo for him that he didn't know about yet. That was beside the point though. Peyton was going to have her baby and then probably travel back and forth with Xander to and from Spain for awhile. Savannah and I were headed to New York to start our modeling careers. Brooke was headed to Los Angeles for an internship at a major fashion label. And Tim…

The original plan had been for Tim to go to UNC Chapel Hill. I had tried for months to convince Bryan to let him move into the house there instead of Lucas, but to no avail. That wasn't that big a deal. Tim's parents could have afforded to put him in dorms or his own place but instead, they decided to change the plan completely. It was my fault really. They hated me. They didn't want him anywhere near me and him being at Chapel Hill, close to my brother, close enough that I could visit… they didn't approve of that. So they gave him an ultimatum. Go into the Marines or be disowned.

I figured if I broke up with him, they would change their minds. What parents forced their kid into the military when he could go to college instead? All because they didn't like me? I thought if we weren't together and they believed we wouldn't get back together, they would let him go to college and to me, that would save his life. He'd be unhappy with me, possibly hate me even for leaving him, but I would make that sacrifice so he would have a chance at the life he actually wanted to live. Unfortunately, his parents hadn't budged on the ultimatum. He hated me and still had to go into the military. A lose, lose situation.

"Earth to Camille. Come in Camille." Brooke waved her hand in front of my face, "Where'd you go?"

I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Tim-land." I admitted honestly, a slight frown playing across my face, "I'm back now. What's up?"

Brooke was frowning back at me and she looked concerned. I'm sure my rapid mood swings lately had all my friends worried. I recognized that I was doing it. One minute I was a bitch and the next I was nice again. I laughed, then cried. Smiled then got lost in my own world. I was worse than Peyton and she had the pregnancy hormones to blame it on.

"I was just worried about you." Brooke put her arm around me shoulder, "Seriously, if you want to talk, I'm here."

"Please give a hand to Coach Whitey Durham who is going to announce this years basketball awards." Principal Turner handed the microphone to Whitey who had now joined him on the stage as we all cheered.

Whitey smiled at all of us and even laughed loudly when the entire basketball team stood and cheered for him on stage.

"Sit down, sit down." He told them and they did, still clapping loudly, "Winning the state championship this year, my final year of coaching, has been an amazing experience. Any of you who know me knows that I don't get all mushy for nothing but this team… they worked really hard for that championship."

Everyone clapped for the team and then waited for Whitey to continue.

"I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. I have an almost all senior basketball team this year which means next year you will have a new coach and a mostly new team. They're going to have a lot to live up to. Of the ten seniors on this team, six have received full basketball scholarships to schools nationwide." Whitey started listing off the players who had received scholarship and where they would be attending, "Lucas Scott to UNC Chapel Hill. Nathan Scott to Duke University. Tim Smith to UNC Chapel Hill."

Too bad Tim wouldn't be accepting his scholarship.

"And as you have all witnessed, the girl who has become famous for playing on a boys basketball team and beating the crap out of all the boys, Savannah Carter to UCLA."

Wait… Savannah had gotten a scholarship to play basketball at UCLA? Why was this news to me?

It was apparently news to all of us except for Savannah who bowed her head, smiled nervously and then glanced around at us. The only one of us who was close enough to ask her about it was Nathan but it looked like she wasn't going to answer him. She simply shook her head when he whispered in her ear.

"With such a talented group this year, you'll understand why it was impossible for me to pick an MVP for the season. Every single player contributed 100% to make my dream of having a State Championship win under my belt a reality. Will Nathan, Lucas, and Savannah join me up here?"

Nathan, Lucas and Savannah headed up onstage, smiling and sort of standing to the side on the stage.

"Nathan Scott has been my star player since his freshman year. Those of you who have been here will have watched him grow from a cocky freshman playing for the varsity team to a mature well rounded team player." Whitey looked almost choked up as he read a obviously pre-written speech, "Lucas Scott joined this team last year and almost immediately was thrown into a world that he had never known, never experienced, and certainly didn't know how to handle. We've seen him change from a talented street ball player to a finely tuned team ball player. And then there's Savannah Carter, the exceptionally talented girl from California who came in here and showed all these boys that girls too can play amazing basketball. She even taught me a thing or two."

All three of them were smiling nervously, looking back and forth at each other, wondering what the speech was leading to.

"If you have seen them play you will know that they work together as a team, almost as if they can read each other's minds. Their game is effortless, almost as if it were rehearsed and I don't use corny lines like this often but it is as if their play is a dance, choreographed and executed perfectly, so I don't see them minding sharing the title of MVP, just as they've shared the court this season."

The crowd erupted in screams as Whitey moved to hand the three MVP trophy's to each player. Savannah, Lucas, and Nathan each accepted, hugging Whitey and shaking his hand, accepting the honor.

They took their trophies and returned to their seats with Whitey right behind them and Principal Turner returning to the stage. As he began to talk I zoned out again. My mind couldn't focus on his words.

Brooke explained to me later that he had simply explained what the senior activities schedule would be like for the week.

I participated effectively in the cheer performance after he finished talking and I even mildly paid attention when Haley performed one of her songs off of the album she had sent us a month earlier. I had to admit it was a good album, despite it being Haley who I had never gotten along with all that well.

Thankfully after a few more announcements from a few other of the sports teams and coaches, we were able to leave the pep rally and return to our regular classes, which meant lunch was our next stop.

"I want to go home." I groaned as we sat at our normal table, "This week is never going to end."

"Cheer up cheerleader." Savannah and Nathan slid in next to Brooke, Bevin and I, "Life isn't as bad as you think it is."

I glared at her and she grinned back at me.

"I love you Cammie."

"Punk." I retorted, "Hey, what's this about a scholarship to UCLA?"

"Um…" Savannah stole a French fry from Nathan and chomped on it nervously, clearly avoiding the question, "Yeah, that…"

"You're gonna take it right?" Nathan asked.

"Actually… no." Savannah sighed, "That's why I didn't tell any of you. I'm not interested in going back to Los Angeles. It's not my scene anymore and besides, I already have plans to move to New York so…"

"So plans can be changed Savannah. A full scholarship to UCLA to play basketball? That's what you dreamed of for as long as I've known you and hello, I've known you since birth." I couldn't help the verbal attack. I couldn't believe she was really considering turning down this offer.

"Dreams change." Savannah shrugged it off, "I love basketball. Playing on the team this season, winning the State Championship, that was awesome. I love being co-MVP but I also realized this year that there is more to life than basketball. It was taken away from me for a short time and I've come to learn to live without it. I already turned UCLA down so you can't talk me into it now."

"Wait, you turned it down?" Lucas joined us mid-conversation and I almost groaned out loud when I saw Haley and Jake with him. He slid in next to Brooke. Haley and Jake took seats as well but none of us really said anything to them.

"Yes." Savannah grabbed another French fry and sighed, "Seriously, it's not a big deal. High school ball was great. I'm done now. I no longer have the dream of playing in the WNBA or making it my life so can we please drop it?"

We all glared at her but we dropped it like she requested.

"Stop stealing my fries." Nathan smacked her hand when she tried to take another French fry and she giggled, breaking the serious mood and returning us to normal conversation again.

"So, what are you two doing here?" Brooke asked Haley and Jake, being the first person to talk to them since they sat down.

"Um, we're graduating with you guys." Haley looked at Lucas and frowned, "You didn't tell her?"

"Yeah, Luke. You didn't tell me?" Brooke raised an eyebrow at Lucas and I managed a smile, knowing Lucas was in trouble now.

"I was going to tell you but we've been so busy lately…" Lucas tried to make an excuse, "I love you."

"You're dead Lucas Scott." Brooke retorted.

"Come here. Give me a kiss." Lucas tried to sweet talk his way back to Brooke but she turned away from him.

"I knew too." Nathan spoke up and we all looked at him, surprised, "I didn't say anything either. I probably should have. Sorry."

"How did you know?" Lucas stopped trying to woo Brooke and frowned at his brother.

"She called me." Nathan smiled over at Haley and she smiled back.

For me, hell must have officially frozen over. Haley and Nathan were not only on speaking terms but they were smiling at each other. When had this happened? At New Year's things had been mildly uncomfortable at best but it definitely wasn't friendly.

"Yeah, remember Luke? I called you and you gave me Nathan's new phone number and then I called him… like a month ago? Right before I sent the CD's to you guys."

"Which are great by the way." Savannah spoke up, stealing Nathan's fries again as he smacked her hand again and she laughed, "I love the CD. I play it in my car all the time."

"Literally all the time." Nathan seconded for her, "She no longer lets me touch the radio."

"I'm glad you like it." Haley grinned.

"I remember now." Lucas nodded, "I was half asleep so the conversation slipped my mind but I remember now."

"Squeeze in guys." Peyton approached the table and then eyed Haley and Jake, "I wasn't aware this table could fit in superstars and their egos."

"Hey!" Jake objected, "We don't have egos."

"I know." Peyton set her bag down and did her best to hug Jake and Haley around her very pregnant stomach, "What are you guys doing here?"

They went over the whole conversation again but I tuned everyone out. My eyes automatically found their way to Tim, across the courtyard, standing alone and looking at us enviously. He no longer sat with the group, not since I had broken up with him, but I figured it was time to change that. More and more I realized it wasn't fair that he had to lose his friends just to avoid me. He deserved their friendship more than I did at this point.

"I'm ditching the rest of the day. I'll see you guys later."

I left the table before anyone else could object, grabbing my bag and decidedly walking straight to where Tim was standing. I got there so quick he didn't even get the chance to walk away.

"Hey." I said lamely, not knowing how else to start a conversation with him, "Um… you should go sit with everyone. There's no reason why you can't hang out with them. They're your friends too. They were your friends first really so…"

"I can't." Tim said simply, "If you're there it's too hard."

"Well I won't be. I'm gonna go home for the day." I shoved my hands in the pockets of my cheerleading jacket, "Seriously, I don't want to keep you from your friends. You should be hanging out with them. Enjoying your last week of high school. Don't let me get in the way of that."

"It's a little late for that." Tim sighed and stared into my eyes, "I don't get it Camille. Why? Why'd you do it?"

"I thought I was doing what was best for you." I told him honestly, "I… I never meant to hurt you ok? I just… I wanted you to get your dreams and I was in the way of that."

"Are you serious?" This was the first real conversation Tim and I had had since the breakup, "Camille, you are my dream."

We never talked seriously. Tim was the class clown. He was the jokester and I loved that. We joked. We laughed. We had fun. Sure we had exchanged "I love you" but that was as serious as our conversations ever got. Hearing him say I was his dream almost broke my heart. I never wanted this for us. I never wanted for us to end up this way.

"I can't have this conversation here." I could feel the tears building, "I have to go."

I ran towards the parking lot but I knew almost instantly that he had followed me.

"Tim, go back to school." I wiped at the tears that had begun to fall, "Please…"

"No." He refused, "You can't have the conversation here then we're gonna have it somewhere else but I have three weeks before I have to be in boot camp and before I go you are going to explain to me why I'm suddenly not good enough. We've been dating the entire school year and then three weeks ago…"

"I thought they would let you go to college. I thought I was the reason they were making you join the marines so I thought that if I left you, they would let you play basketball instead. They would let you take that scholarship…"

"Why didn't you explain that to me? I could have told you that nothing was going to change their minds. Nothing! That's not how my parents work. They make a decision and they stick to it and this was their decision."

"Don't go." I said simply, "Fine, they'll disinherit you but you can go to college and play basketball and we can still be together. Don't leave."

Tim brought me into his arms and held me to his chest while I cried.

"I don't have a choice Cammie." He whispered, "Even if I went to college, where would I live? How would I eat? It's not as simple as making a decision."

"My parents like you. I'll get them to give me money for you or something… it can work. They won't care."

Tim shook his head no, lifting my chin so I had to look at him. He made a silly face at me. Our favorite pastime had always been making faces at each other and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as he smiled at me.

"I wish you had told me sooner why you broke up with me." He said with a sigh, "I wouldn't have been as angry with you. We could have at least enjoyed these last few weeks together."

I sniffled, feeling the tears threatening to return.

"Think about it. I'm hot, but in a uniform? I'm going to be irresistible." Tim joked taking a step back and turning around, "Look at this ass. Think about it in a Marine's uniform."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped as he did a little dance, knowing he was cheering me up.

"Don't break up with me." Tim pulled me back into his arms when he saw me smiling again, "I need you. Who else am I going to think about when I'm at boot camp or deployed to some remote station somewhere? I have to be able to brag to all the people I meet about how hot my girlfriend is and how she's a model and she's totally into me despite the fact that I'm stupid and completely uncool."

"Hey… you're cool… well, at least when you're around me you're cool." I joked with him, straightening the collar on his shirt to occupy my hands while he talked.

"I'm not serious often Camille but I'm serious now." Tim took a deep breath, "Don't make me go knowing that you're going to move on without me."

I took a deep breath. I never wanted to let him go in the first place. I wanted to be with him and I wanted him to have anything he wanted. He didn't want to join the military but he was going to do it with or without me, so it was up to me. I could either be with him or without him.

"I love you." I said simply, my arms wrapping around his neck, "You promise you won't forget about me when you leave?"

"Forget about you? You're the only thing I ever think about." Tim laughed, "I think about you in your underwear. I think about you in a bathing suit. I think about you naked…"

I laughed and nodded.

"I get the point."

He kissed me and I felt myself melt into the kiss.

"I don't want you to join the military." I sighed, one last attempt to convince him he didn't have to carry out his parents wishes.

"I don't want to either." Tim sighed back, "But right now, it's the only choice that I have."


	41. Chapter 39: Graduation Day

**_Author's Note: Well, it's almost finished... I'm thinking two more chapters and then a epilogue/preview of the sequel. Thanks to kapeesh (don't worry, you'll get your nathan/savannah chapter next), brilliant brunette, and xxmickibabexx for reviewing. I'm gonna put a second author's note at the end of this chapter so read, enjoy, and then I'll talk to you after :)_**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**Graduation Day**

**Brooke POV**

I had dreamed of this day for years, almost my whole life actually. The day I would graduate high school, officially be free of anyone telling me what to do or who to please. Sure, I understood that getting a job or going to college, people would still be telling me what to do, but I'd be able to choose if I wanted to listen. My life choices were officially mine to make. What I did from here on out would matter. It was scary and liberating all at the same time.

"So no parents huh kiddo?" Karen asked me as I stood in my room at Larry's house, adjusting my necklace. The fact that I even still thought of it as Larry's house and not my own was semi-hysterical. I had lived here for the entire school year.

"They sent a card." I replied, handing Karen the envelope my parents had sent from Califonia, "Dear Brooke, Happy Graduation."

Karen looked it over with a scrutinizing eye.

"No, love mom and dad or even a good luck or sorry we can't make it." I shrugged, "They sent a new credit card though. One of those black American Express cards with no limit? I might go buy a car."

Karen laughed.

"Well, you know that you still have people there who love you. Congratulations." She smiled at me the way she always did when she wanted to hug me and I gladly accepted.

"Thank you Karen. You're the best mom ever."

"Yes she is." Lucas stood in the doorway smiling at us, "Hey ma, you feeling lonely yet? I mean, pretty soon the nest will be empty. I'll be at college. Brooke will be in California designing clothes."

"Getting coffee for the people designing clothes." I laughed, "It's an internship Luke. Not my dream career."

"Whatever." Lucas shrugged with a laugh, "Can you tie this for me?"

Karen reached up to tie Lucas's tie as she smiled.

"Yes, I do feel a bit lonely already." Karen said, "But luckily, once you two are gone, we will have two houses all to ourselves… at least for the next 6 months or so."

At first it didn't occur to me what she was hinting at. I continued getting ready for graduation, securing my hair and starting my makeup when suddenly I realized what she had said. I whipped around to look at her faster than I would have thought possible and saw Lucas's mouth had fallen to the ground.

"Mom… are you…?"

"Pregnant?" Karen smiled and looked back and forth between us, nodding, "I would have told you sooner but at my age, there's a pretty high risk of early miscarriage so… we wanted to get past the first trimester first."

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed as I started to jump up and down. I hugged her tightly and she was chuckling as she hugged me back, "Congratulations! Wait, congratulations right? You're happy about this?"

Karen nodded, glancing from me to Lucas who still hadn't said a word.

"I always wanted more kids but… I never found the right man or the time. And I guess now that Lucas is all grown up, I'll have the time."

"And you found the right man." Lucas whispered the sentence almost too quietly for us to hear, "Congratulations mom."

I could see the tears start to well up in Karen's eyes as she pulled Lucas into a bear hug.

"I love you so much." I heard her say to him.

"I love you too." Lucas eyed me over his mom's shoulder and I could see in his eye's that he wasn't 100% thrilled. I hoped Karen didn't see it though. She seemed genuinely happy about this.

"Ok, I am going to go so you can finish getting ready. Um, don't tell Peyton ok? Larry wants to tell her."

"We won't." I promised with a smile, "Oh my God, your baby is only going to be a few months younger than hers."

Karen laughed.

"I'll see you two later."

When she was a safe distance away from my bedroom Lucas turned to me, his eyes wide with surprise as I began to laugh.

"This is a joke right?" He asked me, "My mom is pregnant?"

"She's so happy Luke! They're gonna get married soon anyway and it's not like your mom's old. She's what? 37?"

"But a baby? I'm gonna be a big brother." Lucas sat on my bed like he was taking it all in.

"Well, you kind of already are." I grinned at him, "Nathan is three months younger."

"That's different." Lucas rolled his eyes at me, "And that whole thing about not having the time or the right man. What about Keith? They could have had kids…"

"Luke… When are you going to understand that your mom never loved Keith the way she loves Larry? You have to stop hoping they're gonna get together because I hate to be the one to break this to you, but your mom is happy."

"I know." Lucas sighed, "I can't believe she's pregnant."

"I think it's fabulous." I went back to doing my makeup while we talked, "We are graduating high school today, starting our lives. We have great friends, all sorts of people who love us, and very bright futures."

Lucas nodded but I knew he wasn't convinced. I saw his reflection in the mirror and he almost looked sad.

"Lucas…" I sighed and went to him, crawling onto his lap and straddling his waist, "Cheer up. Seriously, think about all the positive things in our lives right now. We have each other. We have all the potential in the world to go on and do bigger and better things with our lives. This is a turning point."

His hands found my waist and I could see a small smile begin to form on his lips.

"Hey," I lifted his chin so he had to look directly in my eyes, "Remember the night that I stripped in the backseat of your car? Our first official meeting?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Remember how I asked you how many times in your life you would be able to would you be able to look back and think 'that's when it all changed…'?"

He nodded again.

"This is one of them Luke. Twice already, that I know of, that you can look back and pinpoint a moment when life changed. That's more than most people get."

"You're right." He said, kissing me softly, "You're always right."

"Wait… say it again. I need a tape recorder. For women in relationships everywhere, I need to get this on tape!"

Lucas began to laugh as I slid off his lap.

"Yeah, yeah. I said it. You are always right."

I grinned and began to walk away but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back before I could.

"Tell me that everything's going to be ok." He said, looking deep into my eyes, "You in California. Me in Chapel Hill. We'll be living two separate lives. Tell me we'll be ok."

"We will be ok." I told him, and I believed it. I believed it with my whole heart.

"Ok."

The scene at Tree Hill High School a few hours later was tumultuous to say the least. Lucas and I tried our best to locate all our friends but everyone looked the same, mulling about in the gym, all of us in our caps and gowns, waiting to line up and march out onto the football field for the actual graduation ceremony.

"Oh my God, I thought I was never going to find you." Savannah clung to me as she laughed, Nathan right behind her.

"I know!" I hugged her back, "We've been trying to find everyone but we all look the same!"

"Well, except Peyton." Savannah pointed to the bleachers where Peyton was lounging as if she hadn't a care in the world, her hands resting on her visible baby bump. She waved when she saw we were staring at her and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, hey, don't tell Peyton because her dad wants to tell her but Karen is pregnant." I blurted to Nathan and Savannah whose jaws dropped like Lucas's had, "Seriously, don't say anything."

"She's really pregnant?" Savannah hissed.

Lucas confirmed it and then Savannah was trying to silently celebrate as she jumped up and down, thankfully not screaming like I knew she wanted to.

"What are we celebrating?" Camille asked as she and Tim located us. It was good to see them back together. I thought for a few weeks together Camille was going to kill herself with how depressed she had gotten. Suicide was not something I could handle.

"Karen's pregnant." Savannah said quietly, glancing back at Peyton, "Don't tell Peyton. It's a secret."

Camille smiled and looked over at Lucas.

"Congratulations. You get to be a big brother… again."

"It's different." Nathan answered just like Lucas had said earlier, "I'm only three months younger and we didn't even grow up together."

"Well he's already grown so he won't be growing up with the new one either." Camille retorted, sticking her tongue out at Nathan, "Anyway, we're still missing Bevin and Skills. Where are they?"

"And Haley and Jake." Lucas tried to look around the crowd again but didn't locate any of the rest of our friends.

"It doesn't matter that much anyway because we all have to sit away from each other because of our last names but I wanted all of us to be together before we had to go out there." I pouted slightly but knew that there wasn't really much I could do about it.

"Yeah, I was wondering. Do we file Haley under James or Scott?" Savannah teased Nathan who fake laughed at her and rolled his eyes before answering.

"Since legally it's James hyphen Scott, you can file her under ex-wife."

"Who me?" Haley appeared out of nowhere grinning, "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

She hugged everyone happily, winking at Nathan. It still amazed me the difference a few months apart had made for them. They were bordering on friends instead of soon to be divorcees. It was weird but I figured if Nathan could forgive Haley and move on as friends with her, than I could forgive her too.

"We're graduating today. Can you believe it?"

"Well you're already a superstar so does it matter if you have your high school diploma?" I teased her.

"You're right. It really doesn't. I think I'm just gonna skip out of here." Haley replied back, sticking her tongue out at me, "No seriously. Doesn't it feel liberating?"

"My mom's pregnant." Lucas blurted to her and her eyes became the size of saucers.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Alright potty mouth." I smacked her arm as if I was scolding her.

"Sorry. Luke, are you serious?" Haley asked.

Lucas nodded and Haley launched herself into his arms.

"That's so awesome. Remind me to congratulate her later!"

"Just not in front of Peyton. She doesn't know yet. Larry wants to tell her." I made sure the ground rules were set and Haley agreed.

"Seriously, that is so cool."

"Seniors, please begin to line up as we rehearsed yesterday in alphabetical order by last name. If you need assistance remembering your alphabet let me know so that I can revoke your diploma ahead of time." Principal Turner joked as he spoke into his microphone from somewhere in the room, "Just kidding. If you need help getting in the right order let me or a teacher know."

"This is it." Savannah took a deep breath and looked around at all of us, "We are about to officially graduate high school and…"

"Ugh!" Bevin and Skills made their way over to us, interrupting Savannah's speech, "I couldn't find you guys but I knew I couldn't graduate without seeing you guys first!"

"Aww!"

We all formed a group hug which held for a few minutes. I almost started to cry but I held the tears back. Peyton wasn't as lucky. She had joined us since the announcement and she as crying like a baby.

"Don't say it B. Davis." She glared at me knowing what I was thinking, "Pregnancy hormones. I am allowed to cry."

"We better get to our spots." I said, looking around and noticing the groups around us were thinning as everyone took their places, "Everyone meets up right after graduation at Karen's Café, right?"

"Right." Everyone agreed.

"I love you guys." I smiled at all my friend, "No matter what happens after high school, you guys are the best friends I've ever had."

"Ditto." Savannah seconded with a wink.

It seemed like it took forever for the talking to be over and the handing out of diplomas to begin. The diplomas were the exciting part. So as they began to call out names, I began to get nervous with anticipation. This was it. We would officially be graduated as soon as they called our names.

"Peyton Elizabeth Carter."

Peyton was the first of our group of friends to be called. I looked up into the stands where Xander was sitting with the large group of all of our parents. They cheered loudly while Peyton walked onto stage to accept her diploma.

"Savannah Mercedes Carter."

Savannah immediately followed Peyton and she was grinning widely as she shook Principal Turner's hand and headed down the other side of the stage.

It seemed like only a few names later and suddenly it was my turn.

"Brooke Penelope Davis."

"Please don't let me trip. Please don't let me trip." I mumbled under my breath as I headed onstage.

The experience was almost surreal. I walked to Principal Turner and accepted my diploma, shaking his hand and posing for a quick picture by the school photographer. I headed towards the other side of the stage and waved up at what I had now deemed my family, or at least the only family that mattered, which was the parents and siblings of my friends. They screamed for me and I giggled, thanking God that I hadn't tripped when I arrived safely back at my chair.

"Jacob Andrew Jagielski." Cute. Jake's middle name was Andrew? Who knew?

"Haley Beth James-Scott." Of course the roars for Haley were louder than most. I had expected that much. She was famous now. She had even won prom queen earlier in the week, voted for as a write-in candidate.

"Bevin Evan Mirskey." I had always loved Bevin's name. It was fun and playful, just like Bevin.

I was beginning to get bored with the sounding of names when I realized that Lucas would be up next.

"Lucas Eugene Scott."

I screamed at the top of my lungs, just slightly louder than I had screamed for the rest of my friends. After all, he was my boyfriend. I had to give him a little more love than the rest.

"Nathan Royal Scott." Just as Nathan had since we were little kids, he walked across the stage like he was the coolest person in the world. A slight air of indifference but I knew inside he was jumping up and down. He just wouldn't show it to anyone except his closest friends.

"Timothy David Smith." Tim on the other hand, always the class clown, strutted across the stage happily, as if he were on the catwalk. It was nice to see him as the same old "dim" Tim, but I frowned when I realized he wouldn't have the chance to be this crazy now that we were out of high school. He was going into the Marines in two weeks. The Marines hardly seemed like a place to put the class clown.

"Camille Lynette Stevens." Camille was grinning as she walked across the stage. She waved at Tim who was doing a dance back in his seat.

And then there was only one friend left to accept his diploma.

"Antwon Marquis Taylor." How suave. Marquis… I was learning new things about my friends every second.

A few more letter down the alphabet and we were on the very last student.

"Eileen Bridget Zuniga."

As she walked off the stage I realized it was over. We were officially done with high school. The guest speaker presented the class to the crowd and with a final cheer and our hats being tossed wildly into the air, we were done. Graduation was over. Such would begin a new chapter of our lives.

"I love you so much." Lucas sighed as we stood around the corner from the café where we had parked, "What am I going to do when you're all the way on the other side of the country?"

"Jerk off." I teased him and he laughed loudly.

"I feel like… I don't know. Like we're heading into this new stage of life and that I should make some sort of grand gesture or something. Show you that I want you to head into this stage of life by my side."

"If you propose to me right now, I'll kill you." I grinned and reached up, running my fingers through his hair, "There's no need for grand gestures Lucas. I love you. You love me. Yes, we will be across the country from each other, but we have a month before I have to leave for my internship. You'll be moving to Chapel Hill about the same time and what did I tell you earlier? We will be okay. I'm always right remember?"

Lucas nodded, letting his forehead come down to rest against mine.

"We better get inside before someone notices we're missing."

I wanted to go inside to celebrate but part of me would have been completely okay with standing here, my body pressed against Lucas's, forever. This feeling of entering a new chapter in life was almost melancholy. I was excited to see what changes would come but I was sad to see what we all had end.

"Congratulations!" Everyone screamed when we entered the café.

The rest of our friends and their families had already arrived. Lucas and I were literally the last so it took us awhile to make the rounds of saying hi to everyone and accepting the graduation cards from each set of parents. Most likely they would hold money inside them. It would be fun to find out later.

"Look at the freaking cake they got for us." Savannah dragged me to the counter and I laughed loudly when I saw it.

It was just a plain sheet cake but there were 11 pictures on it. Unlike normal parents, instead of using our senior pictures, they had found pictures of us that were candid. Pictures that we probably would have liked to keep secret.

"Oh my God, Peyton, I am going to kill you! You are the only person who had this picture!" I shrieked as I saw the picture of my from my freshman year of high school at a party we had gone too. I was wearing a rainbow colored shirt, staring straight in the camera like I wanted to seduce it, and I was clearly drunk.

Peyton giggled from where she was sitting with Xander on the couch towards the front of the café.

"I love you best friend." She called back to me.

"That's not fair! I have plenty of embarrassing pictures of you if someone had asked my input!"

The picture of Peyton on the cake was one also from our freshman year. I remembered the day it had been taken too. It had snowed in Tree Hill that year which didn't happen often so we were stuck home from school, not that we minded. We had decided to stay at Peyton's house and her dad had spent all day taking pictures of us while we tried to straighten her curly hair. She had finally just ended up looking like a Chia pet so we had given up.

Whoever had chosen Savannah's picture must have really loved her because she was the only one out of all of us who looked stunning and normal in her picture. She was standing, looking bored as she looked around a room.

"Bryan took that picture." She whispered to me, "Freshman year at the mall. I had been waiting for like an hour for Camille to get her makeup done at one of those stupid mall makeup counters and I was so bored."

"These are from our freshman year too. Maybe they were going for a theme here." I smiled at her, "Where is Bryan anyway? He's avoiding you so much he didn't even show up for his sister's graduation?"

"No, he's here." Savannah sighed, "He disappeared like a minute before you came inside. He's not talking to me but he is here."

I pouted.

"Well, don't take it too hard. Today is a day for celebration." I reminded her.

"Oh, I could care less actually." Savannah laughed, "He's the one being retarded. That's not my issue."

"Good." I linked my arm in hers and laughed, "Let's mingle."

The party went on for several hours. It was almost the same crowd that had been at Christmas dinner so it was almost like reuniting friends. As always, in a group of his peers whom he was trying to impress, even Dan Scott behaved himself.

"Hey P. Carter." I found Peyton sitting on the couch by herself after awhile so I fell down next to her, "Happy Graduation."

"You too B. Davis." Peyton responded with a smile, "Do you feel the same way I do? Slightly sad that it's over and yet excited to see what's next?"

"Yes." I nodded, "Exactly the same. It's like, we still have so much life to live but it's hard to let go of the life we've lived previously, especially the last four years."

"We've changed so much." Peyton sighed, "You went from party girl Brooke who would sleep around and party and get drunk all the time to Student Body President dating Lucas Scott exclusively Brooke Davis."

"And you went from broody, punk, depressed, cynical Peyton Sawyer to married, pregnant, happy has all the potential in the world Peyton… Carter."

Peyton laughed.

"Yeah, the name change did me in I think."

"Speaking of names. Have you thought of any for the baby?"

"Um… yeah. Since they haven't been able to tell the sex of the baby because he or she is in the wrong position every single time I have an ultrasound, we came up with names for both. We are thinking either Sienna Brooke or Grayson Elliott."

"You're gonna give her my name?" I couldn't resist the urge to hug Peyton, "Seriously?"

"Of course. You're my best friend, plus, I refuse to give up the name Sienna and Brooke just sounds really good with it."

"Well for the baby's sake, I hope it's a girl. Grayson Elliott is an ugly name." I teased her, putting my hand on her stomach, "Be a girl. Be a girl."

Peyton laughed loudly.

"I hope it's a girl too." She admitted, "Secretly I've been calling her a she this whole time too so if it's a boy, I may have given him a complex."

"Oh my god Peyton." I rolled my eyes, "You're so crazy."

"I know." Peyton leaned over and put her head on my shoulder, "I'm gonna miss you when you leave for LA. I don't want you to go."

"More and more I'm not wanting to go either." I sighed, letting my head rest on top of hers, "At least I'll be here when the baby is born though."

Peyton nodded.

"Yeah."

The sound of clinking glass got our attention and we looked up to see Savannah standing on a chair near the counter at the front of the room. She cleared her throat and shot a killer smile at everyone in the room.

"I just wanted to say that I feel extremely privileged to call the people in this room my family and friends and that I love all of you, well, not all of you but most of you which makes this speech sound slightly less heartfelt but I'm telling the truth so um… yeah. My best friends in the entire world… Camille and I have been friends since birth so it was sort of expected that we would see graduation day together but to Nathan, Brooke, Peyton, Bevin, Lucas, Skills, and Tim… I never ever in a million years thought that moving to North Carolina would bring such amazing people into my life. I may have lived the first 17 years of my life in Beverly Hills but you have made Tree Hill my home. You accepted me into your lives and this year that we've spent together has been the greatest year of my life. I'm really sad to see it end…" Savannah had to wipe away the tears that had started to flow, "but I love you guys and I know that no matter what our futures hold we will always and forever call each other friends. More than friends though, you have become my family. Karen, you are the mother that I always wish I had and I've told you that often but it is still true today. If you were able to pick your parents at birth, I definitely would have chosen you. Congratulations by the way."

We all looked around panicked but quickly realized that since she hadn't expanded on the thought everyone that didn't know she was pregnant assumed that Savannah was congratulating her for something else, anything else really, because no one would have suspected pregnancy.

"I'm almost done, I promise." Savannah sniffled quickly, "My dad Deacon is not the greatest dad in the world and he will admit it. We only see each other on special occasions and holidays but dad, I love you and I know you love me. I think I speak for myself, Xander and Mariah when I say that we all know that at the end of the day you've done the best you could under the circumstances and I never want you to feel like you didn't do right by us, because we have all turned out pretty good, so yeah, I love you. I could probably go on forever but I will stop there. Thanks for listening to my rambling."

Savannah jumped down off of the chair and into Nathan's arms. I could see her body shaking and I knew she was still crying. I was even crying and I was only listening to the speech.

"I would like to second the sentiment that I have the best friends in the world." I decided to stand up on a nearby chair and make a quick speech too, "There is no way that I would have made it to this day without the support of my friends. I also second the fact that Karen Roe is the best mother any person could ever ask for. Biologically or not, I would have chosen you at birth."

I jumped off the chair and returned to my spot on the couch with Peyton as we both cried together. Suddenly it seemed like everyone was embracing and the whole room was filled with emotion and love. Lucas and Xander found Peyton and I and without a word pulled us into their arms which was comforting but released more waves of emotion so that I couldn't have stopped my tears if I tried.

"Wait, I have one more thing to say." Savannah jumped back up on her chair and smiled, wiping away the tears on her face, "So I forgot to mention Haley and Jake. And for those of you who don't know the history, Haley and I have had a pretty rough year with each other but let me just say that she is probably the single most talented person I have ever met in my life. I might never remove your CD from my CD player in my car ever again and I am requesting… no, I am demanding that you sing a song for us. Make us stop crying! Sing us something happy and Jake, you have to accompany her because I can now make out when you are playing the guitar in a song and I'm enchanted. So… please?"

Haley laughed from her spot sitting at one of the tables with her parents, Jake's parents, Jake, and Jenny. She nodded, agreeing to sing a song and although I had no clue where they came from, she and Jake both materialized guitars, hopping up onto the counter at the front of the room so they could play a song for us.

"Savannah, do you have any special requests?" Haley asked as she looked out at all of us.

"Um…" Savannah was resting her head against Nathan's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her waist as they waited to listen, "Fairytale is probably my favorite song on the CD but I've heard you sing that one live so I choose… Many The Miles."

"Ok." Haley grinned and for a second her and Jake tuned their guitars and then they began to play.

"_There's too many things that I haven't done yet. Too many sunsets, I haven't seen. I can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down. You would have thought by now, I'd have learned something. I made up my mind when I was a young girl, I've been given this one world, I won't worry it away. But now and again I lose sight of the good life. I get stuck in a low light, but then love comes in."_

As Haley always did, she really got into her music and grinned, looking up at us as she sang the chorus.

"_How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Many the Miles. How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Send me the miles, and I'll be happy to… follow you love."_

"_I do what I can wherever I end up, to keep giving my good love and spreading it around. 'Cause I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes. I've learned how to cry, and I'm better for that."_

"_How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Many the Miles. How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Send me the miles, and I'll be happy to…"_

Jake's guitar faded out and only Haley strummed to this verse.

"_Red letter day, and I'm in a blue mood. Wishing that blue would just carry me away. I've been talking to God don't know if it's helping or not, but surely something has got to got to got to give, 'cause I can't keep waiting to live."_

"_How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Many the Miles. How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the Miles. Send me the miles, and I'll be happy to…" _This chorus she and Jake sang without either guitar, harmonizing perfectly.

I would have to admit I hadn't listened to the whole CD since Haley had sent it, but every time I saw her live she was amazing. Maybe now I would have to listen to it.

"_There's too many things I haven't done yet. Too many sunsets I haven't seen."_

"Thank you." Savannah hugged Haley when she jumped off the counter.

I smiled and Lucas kissed the top of my head, basking in the comfort of the moment. We were happy to just be there. It was shaping out to be a really great day.

"Hey Peyton, can I talk to you for a second?" Larry smiled at Lucas and I then helped Peyton up off the couch as he led her to the back of the café.

Xander frowned.

"What's that all about?" He asked us.

"I imagine your wife will tell you when she gets back." I replied with a knowing smile, "It's fun news though."

When Peyton and Larry emerged from the kitchen, Peyton's face was almost unreadable. I wasn't really sure what she felt about the news until I watched her stride straight to Karen and hug her tightly. Karen grinned from ear to ear and I knew that Peyton's reaction was exactly what she had hoped it would be.

"Karen is pregnant." Peyton exclaimed when she returned to sit with us on the couch, "I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister."

"Join the club." Lucas laughed and reached over me to give Peyton a high five.

"You already have a brother." Peyton high fived Lucas but frowned, "This is a first for me."

"Nathan's different." I said before Lucas could because I knew he would, "They're only three months apart and they didn't grow up together."

Lucas laughed at my mocking.

"Whatever." Lucas smiled, "The idea is growing on me the more I hear it. I wasn't thrilled at first."

"It took me a second before it even registered in my brain." Peyton laughed, "Wait, when did they tell you guys?"

"This morning." Lucas and I grinned, "Karen made us promise not to tell you because your dad wanted to."

"So naturally if they told you first everyone except for me already knew right?"

"Right."

"Make room." Nathan and Savannah appeared suddenly to join us on the couch. I scooted closer to my arm of the couch. Peyton scooted closer to me. Xander and Lucas remained perched to the sides of the couch, standing so Nathan sat down in the last spot on the couch, pulling Savannah into his lap as she stretched her legs gently over Peyton's lap.

"Oh, thanks." Peyton laughed at Savannah's feet on her lap.

"You're welcome." Savannah leaned her head back and looked up at Xander, "Hi big brother."

"Hi little sister." He flicked her in her forehead and she scrunched her nose as she rubbed the soreness away.

"It's hard to believe high school is over huh?" Savannah said, "We're all parting ways after this."

"Well you two are already ditching us." Peyton poked Savannah's arm and then Nathan's too, "Flying off to France for two weeks."

Savannah grinned and turned to look at Nathan as she nodded.

"I think we all deserve little vacations after graduating high school but you're pregnant so you can't go. Lucas doesn't have a passport which unfortunately excludes Brooke from the trip because they're trying to spend as much time together as possible before she leaves for LA. Tim is leaving for boot camp before we get back and so of course Cammie wants to stay with him. Bevin and Skills could have gone but declined so unless Jake and Haley are joining us, which would be mildly disturbing to say the least, it's just me and Nathan on this little trip."

"Whatever." Peyton and I said at the same time which ignited a fit of giggles from the both of us.

"Where are the rest of us supposed to sit?" Camille asked as she and Tim joined us at the couch now too.

"Pull up chairs Goldilocks." Savannah responded, pointing to the empty table nearby, "You snooze you lose your spot on the couch."

Camille stuck her tongue out while Tim grabbed them both chairs.

"We should go to BHP's graduation in a couple weeks." Camille suggested to Savannah once she was settled, "Watch the rest of the losers graduate high school."

She didn't say it but we knew she also was saying she wanted to be distracted after Tim's departure to boot camp.

"I'll be in France." Savannah replied, "Take everyone else though. I bet they would love to see LA. Lucas can see where Brooke will be living soon."

"That would be fun." I agreed.

"I still can't go." Peyton objected, "I'm not allowed to fly. Third trimester."

"That does suck." Camille sighed, "Peyton stays but the rest of us should go."

We all laughed when Peyton pouted.

"Where are we going?" Bevin and Skills joined us, pulling up chairs and looking between all of us so we would get them caught up on the conversation.

"Well, Nathan and Savannah will be in France, but I want to go to our old high school's graduation in Beverly Hills so we were thinking that you guys could all go."

"That would be so awesome." Bevin exclaimed, "Since some of us didn't get invited to New York."

"Hey, hey now." Savannah laughed, "That trip… well, it was eventful to say the least. You guys should go. Meet the losers at BHP. Come to think of it Cammie, even if I could go, I don't know that they would let me would they?"

"What are they going to do? Arrest you?" Camille laughed, "They'd let you go to graduation but whatever, go to France instead of LA."

"Whose going to LA?" Haley asked as she and Jake joined us too.

"Oh geez, is everyone here now? Let's have this conversation twelve times!" Peyton exclaimed, "Everyone except for me is going to LA!"

"We'll be in France." Nathan and Savannah said at the same time, giggling when they realized they had said the same thing at the same time.

Bevin quickly filled Haley in on the details of the conversation so for awhile we all sat talking about the plans we would need to make to pull it off.

"You could all stay with us." Haley offered, "We have a huge house. There's like 6 rooms I think. I don't even know honestly."

"She's exaggerating." Jake stopped Haley, "There are four rooms but if we put Jenny in our room then there's enough for everyone. Brooke and Lucas, Camille and Tim…"

"I'll be gone already." Tim stopped Jake and we all got quiet for a second, thinking about Tim being at boot camp.

"Ok so Brooke and Lucas, Camille, and Bevin and Skills right?"

"You don't have to do that but thank you." Camille said to Jake and Haley, "Savannah and I are from LA remember? We both have houses there. I don't know if my parents will be in town but if they will be we can always stay at your place right Savannah?"

"Of course. I'll ask daddy if he'll be there but I doubt it and you know my mother isn't there."

"I think I still have my key." Camille laughed.

Besides actually booking the plane tickets, as Xander said his plane wouldn't be available, we made the final plans just before all of the parents started interrupting us so that they could say their goodbyes.

Late that night I found myself laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, pondering the future. I was just thinking about whether I was making the right decision by taking the internship in Los Angeles when I saw Lucas tip toeing into my room, shutting and locking the door quietly behind him before slipping into my bed and pulling me against him.

"It's still way too weird to sleep in Peyton's old room." He whispered, "I would much rather be here, in your arms."

"You should always be in my arms." I replied with a smile, moving to kiss him lightly, "Have I told you today that I love you Lucas Scott?"

"Yes, but you can say it again."

"I love you Lucas Scott." I sighed, burying my head in his chest as he held me, "Maybe I shouldn't take the internship. Maybe I should just stay here and design my own clothes. See where it takes me."

"Brooke…" Lucas pulled away a bit so he could look into my eyes, "You are taking the internship."

He sounded absolutely resolute.

"Having that internship will let you see how a big time fashion label works and if, at the end of it, you want to move back here to start your own label, I will be fully supportive of that, but I think it would be a mistake to turn down this opportunity. And besides, I'll be in Chapel Hill. What good are you to me if you're in Tree Hill?"

I laughed. He had a point. It wasn't like I could live with him in Chapel Hill. We were going to be apart no matter what. Even if I turned down the internship.

"Fine, I will take the internship." I said, "But I'm glad I get to go see Los Angeles with you first. Sure I lived there last summer with my parents, but it's going to be a completely different experience living on my own and having a sort of job."

"Yes it will." Lucas kissed my forehead, "I'm glad I get to see it with you first too."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence as he held me and I finally felt my thoughts ebb and I began to drift into sleep.

"I love you Brooke Davis."

His words were the last thing I heard before dreams took over.

_**Second Author's Note: So um, would you guys like to read about the trip to Los Angeles? I'm debating it, because I don't think it's that necessary but if you guys would like to read it, I'll write it. Next up, Savannah and Nathan in France! :)**_


	42. Chapter 40: Bonjour, Mes Amis

_**Author's Note: First and foremost, I really really appreciate all the reviews! I can't believe we hit 100!!!! kapeesh, HistoryNerd, and ravencheerleader, thank you for the input regarding the LA trip. I will write about it and, kapeesh, this is a Nathan chapter but just for you, the LA trip will be a Savannah chapter so you get both of what you asked for last time! :) Anyway, I think that the LA chapter is going to be the last chapter so I hope you all are ready for that. I am. I'm super excited about the sequel. That being said, I am a little disappointed in the way this chapter turned out, but I'm hoping you guys like it. Please let me know what you guys would like to see happen in the sequel because I know where it's gonna start but the rest is up in the air, so suggestions are definitely welcome. Oh, there's a few sex scenes in this chapter so reader beware. :) Enjoy!!!!!**_

**Chapter Forty**

**Bonjour, Mes Amis**

**Nathan POV**

"Happy Birthday…"

Savannah was practically purring in my ear. It was a nice sound to wake up to, especially when the person purring was hot, naked, and in my bed. Well, it wasn't exactly my bed. It was the hotel's bed but it was all the same.

I stretched instinctively, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her against me, never opening my eyes. I knew she was watching my grin spread across my face. I didn't even need to open my eyes to know she was grinning too.

"Do you want me to sing to you? Cause I will, but it'll be bad so I probably shouldn't."

I laughed and opened my eyes, seeing her with her head perched on my chest, staring at me. She was smiling and the look in her eyes said to me that she was just waiting for my reaction.

"Thank you, but you don't have to sing to me." I sighed, squeezing her tightly, "I'm just happy to be here with you."

"I'm happy you're here with me too."

We had arrived in Paris a week and a half ago, and I was already sad we were leaving at the end of this week. Had it been my choice, I would have stayed in this room forever with her. We would never get out of this bed except to shower and eat, and sometimes we didn't need to get out of bed to eat.

"So… what do you want to do today? You can pick anything because it's your birthday."

"I want to stay in bed all day. I'll make love to you and then we'll sleep for a little while then wake up and do it again." I leaned into her and kissed her neck and earlobe which made her moan, "Exactly."

"It's beautiful outside though. Don't you want to get out and see the city? We've spent almost the entire vacation in this hotel room. We could have done this at home."

"Yes, but then it wouldn't be Paris." I laughed, "I tell you what. Let me have you for breakfast, then we can go out and see the city for awhile."

"Deal." Savannah raised her eyebrow at me, "What are you waiting for?"

My arms were already around her waist so it was pretty easy to pull her on top of me so she was straddling my waist. She was radiant, her hair around her shoulders, cascading down in long silky waves. The time we had spent outside had given her a nice golden tan which shimmered from the sunlight filtering in through the windows. I would have just laid there all day admiring her if she hadn't started grinding into me making my whole body react with uncontrollable shivers.

I watched her admiringly, my eyes fluttering shut every time my body shivered but reopening to look at her while she teased me. Everything about her body was perfect. She was curvy, sensual, exotic and yet I was mostly attracted to her personality. She turned me on so much more because I knew she was so down to earth and fun outside of the bedroom. She was smart and spontaneous and just so damn beautiful.

I couldn't control the loud groan that escaped my mouth when she slid my dick inside of her. Warmth flooded over me and my eyes instinctively closed again.

"You feel so good." Savannah moaned, moving on me.

It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open but I wanted to watch her. She smiled and as she rocked back and forth her eyes fluttered open and closed as well. She had her hand on my chest to stabilize herself and as she rocked her fingernails dug in, causing more sensations to course through me.

As much as I loved her rocking slowly on me I knew that I wasn't going to be able to hold back much longer. She felt too good to take this slow so I placed my hands on her waist and gently began lifting her and then dropping her back down so I was thrusting in and out of her as she groaned.

"You're amazing." I told her as she leaned down to kiss me passionately, dipping her tongue inside my mouth as she continued to bounce up and down on me. I could feel my release building but I needed to know hers was close before I could let go, "Cum for me baby."

Savannah nodded and dug her nails into my chest again, yelling as she began bouncing on me furiously.

"Are you close?" She whispered in my ear.

"Yes."

"Me too."

Our climaxes built quickly and soon she was screaming as she came and I let go right behind her, my fingers digging into her sides as the waves of orgasm wracked my body.

I could admit that we had pretty crazy sex sometimes. We had experimented in a lot of different positions. We both tended to have a bit of freak in us but when she rode me, it was always the best orgasm I'd ever had and it kept getting better every single time.

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower." Savannah whispered in my ear before she rolled off me and out of bed.

"What? No cuddling?" I yelled after her as she walked out of our bedroom area and through the sitting area towards the bathroom.

She turned to look over her shoulder and grinned devilishly.

"I never said you couldn't join me birthday boy."

It didn't matter that I had just had a massive orgasm. Her offer was enticing enough to get me out of bed and into the shower.

Our suite at the Hotel Luxembourg Parc was amazing. The marble bathroom came complete with spa bathtub and a separate shower which was definitely big enough for the both of us. She was already soapy by the time I made it to her.

"Starting without me." I teased her, stepping into the shower and letting the hot water, which flowed from several different angles, hit me.

"Here, let me give you some soap." She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me and rubbing her body all over mine at the same time, giggling while she did it.

"You're crazy you know that?" I asked her.

"I've been told a time or two." She let me go and turned to rinse herself off before she let the water cascade over her hair and down her back, "Can you hand me the shampoo?"

Another rousing round of sex and a few scrub downs later, she and I were standing in front of the mirror, fully dressed now, preparing for the day. Savannah finished applying her eyeliner and looked over at me, smiling then returning to her makeup.

"What?" I asked her, knowing there had to be a reason she was smiling.

"Nothing." She laughed, "It's just… I'm still amazed we're here. Like, not that we're in Paris, but that we're together, for real. I mean, we're not labeling it but that's what it is right? We're a couple."

"I'd say that, yeah." I nodded and raised an eyebrow at her, "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know Nate. I'm just so happy with you. When it's just you and me, it's like we're the only two people in the world. You're not married. I'm not moving to New York. We're just together you know? I like it. I'm gonna miss it when we have to be apart."

"You don't have to move to New York. We can get a place near Duke together and you can just commute right?"

Savannah laughed.

"No, daily commutes to New York are not what I had in mind, but thank you. And by the way, we have a place near Duke actually. I um… I bought a condo near campus that I was hoping you would agree to live in."

I frowned. I had to have heard her wrong. She bought a condo near Duke? For me?

"Savannah… why would you buy a condo near Duke?"

"So you could live there silly." She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my waist as she stared straight into my eyes, "Dorms are ridiculous and I didn't want you to have to have roommates and I know you like having your own space plus when I come to visit I want a nice place to stay so… I bought a condo."

"Savannah, that is so crazy but so thoughtful. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled and kissed me softly, "I'd do anything for you."

"Right back at you."

For most of the day Savannah and I simply walked the city, taking in the sights and doing a little bit of shopping. We had lunch in a quaint café where we could people watch and have a quiet conversation. If anyone ever asked me again, I would always say this was the best birthday I had ever had. Turning 18 in Paris was definitely not a bad idea.

"So I do have one surprise planned for you tonight." Savannah said as we headed back to the hotel for a mid-afternoon nap and maybe another round of sex because I just couldn't get enough of her.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well I can't tell you or it wouldn't be a surprise." Savannah grinned, "You're going to like it though, I think. It'll be fun."

I agreed. If she thought I would like it, I'm sure I would. There wasn't much that Savannah said I would like that I didn't like and vice versa. At this point we knew each other so well that we could probably take one of those crazy compatibility questionnaires and get 100%. The key was just to tell each other everything.

"Hey, I'm thinking that it might be nice to go home early. Meet up with everyone in LA. Just so we get some time as a group before everyone starts splitting up and going different directions. We already missed seeing Tim off to boot camp and I feel bad. What do you think?"

Savannah and I were laying on our backs in bed, fully clothed still, her hand playfully bouncing off of mine in the air as if we were giving each other gentle high fives.

I felt bad about missing Tim's departure too. We had said bye to him before we left but it wasn't the same. He had been my best friend almost my whole life and I felt like we had sort of abandoned him by coming out here. We had almost canceled the trip just for that reason but Tim insisted that we come to France anyway. We had planned the trip before he knew when he was leaving, he said, so we shouldn't cancel for him.

"I think that I love Paris and we should never go back." I responded, turning to smile at her as she did the same, "No, if you want to go I'd be cool with it. You haven't seen your friends from LA in a year. It would be good for you to see them graduate."

"Cammie says graduation is Friday, so we would probably need to leave tomorrow. Are you sure that's ok?"

"Yes." I caught her hand in mine and brought it down to my lips, kissing her knuckles lightly, "If it's what you want to do then it's ok with me."

I fell asleep with Savannah curled on my chest and my dreams reflected the peace I felt with her there. So much had changed between us in the past few months. Our relationship had at first been simple. Best friends having sex which had evolved into dating but the whole time she knew that my heart was still with Haley. Something changed though, whether in my head, in my heart, or both, I didn't know, but it had changed. We went from dating casually to dating exclusively and if someone asked me now I would say she was my girlfriend, which may seem weird to those who knew I was still married.

Five and a half more months and my marriage would be over officially. It was funny to think Haley and I had already been separated for almost 7 months. She and I had come a long way since we separated too. I hated her, forgave her, ignored her, but in the end, while we still weren't exactly friends, at least we could be in the same room without killing each other. We could joke sometimes. We talked when the opportunity presented itself. The concept may be weird to our friends, but I felt like Haley and I were moving in the right direction, apart from each other but closer to our new significant others.

"Wake up Nate." For the second time that day I woke up to the sound of Savannah whispering in my ear and I smiled.

We must have slept longer than I thought because when I opened my eyes it was dark outside.

"What time is it?" I asked her as I sat up to stretch.

"It's almost 7. You gotta get dressed so we can get out of here and head for your surprise."

I noticed then that she was already dressed, and very nicely too. She was wearing a white dress which fell just above her knees, still leaving plenty of her long legs uncovered. The neckline fell just past her boobs, leaving some things to the imagination but not much. Her hair was already delicately curled and she was just sitting to slip on silver strappy heels.

"Apparently I need to dress up?"

"Just dress nice. No need for a tuxedo but nice jeans, a tie, maybe a suit jacket wouldn't hurt. No sneakers."

"Yes ma'am."

She laughed at me and headed into the bathroom, presumably to redo her makeup while I rifled through my luggage to find something to wear. I located nice jeans and headed into the closet where we had our nicer clothes hung up. Since it was all so organized, it wasn't hard to find a light blue shirt, black tie and black coat to pull on. I was just slipping my shoes on when Savannah emerged from the bathroom, fully ready.

"Hurry up slow poke. We do not have all night." Savannah teased me.

"Yeah, yeah." I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my hair so before she knew it, I was ready to go and we were out the door, sliding into the chauffeured car she had apparently hired for the night.

"So does the driver already know where he's taking us?" I asked, turning to Savannah and running my hand seductively up her thigh.

"Yes he does." She smiled and politely moved my hand off her leg, "There will be plenty of time for that later and besides, you've already had me like three times today."

"I need more." I said and she laughed.

"I guess we know you'll never need Viagra huh?"

"Not as long as I have you." I placed my hand on her face and guided her lips to mine, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Our lips met delicately and it would have been easy to let the passion increase but it was almost more intimate keeping it simple. She pulled away from me and smiled, leaning her head on my shoulder as we rode in silence.

"Do you want kids?" Savannah asked out of nowhere, "I mean, not like immediately obviously, but have you thought about having kids in the future?"

The truth was, I hadn't thought about it in a long time. Had Haley gotten pregnant when things were good between us, I would have probably been fine with it, but since we had split up, I hadn't thought about whether kids were in my future. Right now I was just happy that I had Savannah. I hadn't really considered the future of our relationship, let alone kids.

"I don't know." I answered honestly, "I haven't really thought about it. You're not pregnant are you?"

Savannah laughed.

"No, I was just asking. I was thinking about Peyton being due soon and then Karen's gonna have a baby now too. There's a lot of pregnancy going around and I was thinking that I'd like to be a mom someday. Definitely not now, but someday."

I nodded and placed a kiss on her temple.

"You'd be a great mom." I told her, "Someday, I think I'd like to be a dad too."

She smiled up at me.

"Maybe we'll do it together."

The words surprised me more than anything. She was always the one talking about not labeling our relationship and not making things more serious than they needed to be and yet this was the second time today she had talked about us having a future together.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, "This is not the first time today you're hinting about our future together and you're usually the person insisting we don't pin ourselves down to a label. What's up?"

"I'm fine." Savannah shrugged it off, "I'm fine really. I just… it's always so easy when it's just you and me to think about labeling us. It seems like a good idea when we have no one around to tell us how crazy we're being. I could see us being together forever and I don't know if that is sane or crazy, if it scares you or if you're okay with it… I've just been thinking a lot about it and I don't know. We say we love each other right? What would be so bad about a commitment with it?"

"It's not crazy and it doesn't scare me." I told her first, making sure she knew how I felt, "I do love you Savannah but I think that we're doing the right thing not labeling it. Not making a real commitment. It's different than just not dating exclusively like you and Bryan did, if that's what you're worried about. It's not that we're dating other people or even thinking of dating other people, we're just not in a spot right now where we can commit 100% of ourselves to the other. Like you said, you're going to New York. I'm going to Duke. I'm still married to Haley unfortunately… there are things that are keeping us from being able to say that we want to be together forever. So, don't think that we need to make this declaration or anything. I love you. You love me and no matter what anyone says, we're not crazy and we are doing the right thing."

She looked like she wanted to keep talking about it but just then the car stopped and looking outside the window, I saw we had pulled up in front of the infamous Moulin Rouge.

"Seriously?" I turned to her and smiled, "Moulin Rouge?"

"Yeah." Savannah kissed me softly, "Come on. We have a reservation."

Even with the reservation we had to wait for awhile before being seated, but as we stood in line outside our conversations returned to normal with no question of the future or where we would end up. We just talked about people who we saw and what we had done in Paris and made plans for what she wanted to show me while we were in LA after we left France.

After about half an hour we were led to our seats inside the plush cabaret lounge. The lighting was dim but our booth was almost directly ripped from the movie I was not happy to admit I had watched once. We were served a bottle of champagne which we sipped while we waited for the show to start.

"I can't believe you brought me to the Moulin Rouge. This is awesome." I leaned over to kiss Savannah for the millionth time today, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She grinned, "It's funny isn't it? Here we get served alcohol without any question when in Tree Hill we would have to use fake id's to get this?"

"It is kind of funny. Here they just serve champagne or wine with everything. What's the legal drinking age?"

"Like 16 I think." Savannah shrugged, "Maybe younger. I have no idea. It's awesome though."

"Yes it is."

Our waiter soon brought out dinner which Savannah told me she had pre-ordered from one of their three dinner menu's. We ate and soon the show began with lights, colorful and shimmering costumes, and a lot of nudity.

"Close your eyes." Savannah teased me as we watched.

There was dancing, acrobatics, clowns, jugglers and even a ventriloquist. With the atmosphere, the dinner, and the company, I once again reminded myself that there was no where I would rather be then here for my birthday.

"Oh my God…" Savannah clenched my hand as we watched one of the showgirls swimming in a tank with live snakes, "I freaking hate snakes."

I wrapped my arm around her but my attention was completely on the swimmer. It was one of the weirdest things I had ever seen and yet it was completely intriguing. When she finally left the stage Savannah relaxed a little and for awhile we just talked about the snakes while casually paying attention to the dance routines that followed.

The finale of the show was spectacular, distinguished by a bunch of girls in pink furry costumes but the whole thing had managed to be a crazy experience and we both stood up clapping as the performers left the stage.

"That was so much fun!" Savannah rejoiced as the groups around us began to leave.

We sat back down and waited for some of the other tourists to leave before we exited the club and headed back to our car which was waiting for us.

"Any other plans for the night or do I get to dictate it from here on out?" I asked as we slid into the seat.

"It's all you." She grinned and raised her eyebrow, "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's go to a club. Do you know any good ones?"

Savannah took a second to think about it and then her eyes lit up.

"There's this club I've always wanted to go to called World Place. It's owned by Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and John Malkovich. It's supposed to be awesome. You want to go there?"

"Sounds good."

Savannah quickly looked up the address for the club on her phone and then let the driver know where he needed to take us. When we pulled up to the club there was a very long line outside and I almost immediately started thinking this wasn't such a great idea after all.

"Don't worry about the line. I'll handle it. Come on." Savannah grabbed my hand and pulled me from the car giving the driver instruction before she led me directly to the doorman, making the patrons in line complain.

Letting my hand fall from hers she grinned at the doorman who already seemed impressed that she had the audacity to pass the line without a second thought. I watched her pull out money from her bag and lean in to whisper something to the doorman while she slipped the bill into his hand. Whatever she said impressed him enough that he let us in and I was glad it had worked or we would have been crucified by the crowd left behind waiting.

"How much money did you give him?" I asked her as we headed for the bar.

She laughed and shook her head indicating she wasn't going to tell me.

"It wasn't the money that got him to let us in anyway." She said simply, waving down a bartender, "It was what I said to him."

The bartender arrived and she quickly ordered our drinks, flirting in French to make sure the bartender didn't screw us over. It was something she had taught me when we first got to Paris. If the locals thought you were a tourist, they probably assumed you were snobby and they would charge you more because you weren't likely to realize it. So everywhere we went she flirted to show she was nice and spoke the native language to make sure they realized she would know if the receipt wasn't correct.

"Merci." She tipped the waiter and then handed me my drink as she began to sip her own, "Nice."

I took a sip of my drink and grinned. They knew how to make them strong in France, that was for sure. A couple of these things and I'd forget how to stand.

"Dance with me." Savannah downed her drink quickly and set the glass back on the bar as she spoke directly in my ear, biting my earlobe lightly.

She knew when she bit me I wasn't going to resist. I quickly downed all of my drink, hissing as it stung going down, taking Savannah's hand in mine as she led me to the dance floor where she immediately began grinding her body against mine.

I was completely at Savannah's mercy as we danced. She knew how to move her body but I wasn't exactly the best dancer. She led me and even though I was extremely turned on by the way she moved, it wasn't about that. We laughed, danced, drank, joked and eventually made our way back to our hotel room, collapsing in drunken heaps on the bed giggling as if someone had made the funniest joke we had ever heard.

"Wait…" Savannah tried to catch her breath, "What are we laughing about?"

I tried to remember but couldn't which only made it funnier.

"No one else called me for my birthday." I pouted, turning to look at Savannah as we finally calmed down.

She pouted back sympathetically.

"Well, it's still your birthday in LA where they are. I'll call them. Tell them you're mad at them." Savannah grabbed her phone and dialed quickly, "Make them feel guilty."

"K."

I heard the phone ringing which meant she had put it on speakerphone.

"Hey Savannah." Brooke finally answered, "How's Paris?"

"Paris is great. Has been all day. You know what today is?" Savannah asked quickly.

"Um…" Brooke laughed, "No. Are you drunk?"

"Yes but that's not the point. You all suck."

"Why do we suck?" I could hear Brooke telling everyone else that Savannah was on the phone.

"Because today was Nathan's birthday and none of you called."

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! We totally forgot or at least I did. You guys, today was Nate's birthday." Brooke actually sounded upset, "Savannah, tell Nate we're sorry. Hold on. I'm gonna put you on speaker."

"I have you guys on speaker too so you can tell him yourself." Savannah smiled at me and mouthed "mission accomplished."

"Happy Birthday Nate!" Our friends screamed to me and I smiled.

"Thank you. Technically it's not my birthday in France anymore but whatever." It was still nice to hear them say it, even if they did have to be reminded, "So how is Los Angeles?"

"It's beautiful. Sunny, gorgeous…" Brooke laughed, "How is Paris?"

"Paris is sunny, beautiful… well, not right now but it was earlier. It's like 3 am here. We just got back to the hotel. We went to the Moulin Rouge for dinner and then out to a club."

"I want to go the Moulin Rouge!" I heard Bevin exclaim, "That is so cool!"

"It was really awesome. It's just like the movie."

"Dude, don't admit you watched that movie." Lucas said with a laugh.

"Shut up Luke. You watched it." I heard Brooke smack him playfully, "Is Savannah teaching you French?"

"She taught me to say bonjour mes amis." I probably butchered the language cause Savannah started giggling.

"What does that mean?" Skills asked.

"Hello my friends." Savannah translated and grinned, "I taught him more than that but apparently he doesn't remember."

"I'm tired." I defended myself, "And drunk. You can't expect me to remember French right now."

"Whatever. I'm tired too. Let's go to sleep."

"Yeah, go to sleep you two. Happy Birthday Nathan!" Brooke yelled, "Sorry we forgot!"

"It's ok. See you guys soon."

"Bye!"

I hung up the phone and fell backwards onto the bed, turning to pull Savannah into my arms. I didn't even bother to take off my shoes. Savannah hadn't either.

"Happy Birthday." Savannah sighed as she started to fall asleep, not reaching up to turn out the light even, "Thank you for spending your day with me."

I grinned.

"I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else."

I placed a light kiss on the back of her neck and then sleep took over and that was the end of it. After a fantastic birthday with an amazing girl, I fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of more fantastic days with this girl to come.


	43. Chapter 41: The Way Things Should Be

_**Author's Note: Oh my God, I cannot believe that I got to this chapter. I... I feel good about this chapter. I'm liking ending it at this point so I hope that you all like it too. **_**_Thanks to kapeesh for reviewing the last chapter. You're my hero! Um... I'm actually gonna start writing the sequel right now, but I have NO IDEA what to name it or anything, so suggestions would be greatly appreciated and if anyone would like to Beta the sequel for me, I would really really appreciate it. Love you guys! Thanks so much for reading this story! Enjoy the last chapter!_**

**Chapter Forty-One**

**The Way Things Should Be**

**Savannah POV**

Our plane descended into LAX, landing safely on the tarmac, Nathan never stirring from his sleep. Sometimes I could swear the boy would sleep through a natural disaster.

"Wake up sleepyhead." I shook Nathan gently and he finally stirred, "We're here."

The 14 hour trip had taken us back 9 hours of time so at this point I wasn't even sure what day it was. I would have killed to sleep like Nathan had during the trip, but I had never been able to sleep on commercial airplanes, even in first class.

"Merci. Avoir une bonne journée." The stewardess said to us as we left the airplane with our carry-on's.

I looked at Nathan and smiled.

"Do you know what she said?"

"No idea." Nathan yawned, "The French lessons really went in one ear and out the other. I love you but I figure since you know six languages, I only need to know one. English."

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go rent the car. You go to baggage claim and get our bags."

"K."

We kissed quickly and then went our separate ways. There was a luxury car rental company that I knew my dad had used in the past so that was where I went first.

"Hi, I need to rent a car." I told the lady at the counter.

"Ok. How long will you be in town?"

"Um… good question. Hold that thought." I pulled out my phone and looked at my calendar quickly. It was Thursday and we planned on going back to Tree Hill on Wednesday of the next week so a week, "I'll return it next Wednesday so I guess 6 or 7 days. I just flew in from France so my time frames are all wacky."

"Oh of course, I'll take care of it." She smiled at me and started to make entries in her computer, "Do you have your driver's license with you?"

"I do." I handed her my license and the process officially began.

"What kind of car are you looking for?" She asked, placing a brochure in front of me, "We have twelve categories. Prestige, Exotics, Luxury, Sports, SUV, Hybrid, Premium, Classics, Motorcycles, Standard, Passenger or Trucks."

"I actually have no idea. I drive an Aston Martin Vanquish at home. I love my Aston so… maybe we'll stick to that."

"Let me see what we have available." She pressed a few buttons and smiled, "We have a two door silver Aston Martin Vanquish. It seats four. It would be $21,000 for the week. 50 miles per day included and $2.00 per mile after that."

"Hmm…" I was contemplating it. I wasn't sure I wanted to drive an Aston here. I loved mine at home but maybe I should try something different while I was in LA.

Luckily, before I had to make a decision, Nathan joined me with our luggage and so I was able to ask him for an opinion.

"Do we need something that fancy while we're here?" Nathan asked, "Try something with more room. Let's get an SUV or something. There's a lot of people we're going to want to hang out with right?"

I nodded and turned back to the lady asking her for an SUV instead.

"We have a Porsche Cayenne. Four door, seats 5. Automatic, cruise control, built in navigation. $2400 for the week. 50 miles a day included and $.50 per mile after that."

I looked at Nathan who shrugged so I nodded.

"Yeah, we'll take that one."

"Anyone other than you driving Ms. Carter?" She asked.

"No." I grinned, "I'm the only one who knows my way around. Navigation or not, I'd rather just drive."

"Good choice."

Within a few minutes we had booked and paid for the car. Nathan followed me out to the valet with our luggage while we waited for the car to arrive.

"I wonder if they are at the house. I don't even know whose house they ended up staying at." I sighed, checking my phone for any messages I might have missed during the flight, "We'll just go to my house to leave our luggage and see what's going on from there. They don't know we're in town so it'll be a surprise if we show up and they're there."

"Sounds good to me." Nathan smiled and kissed me softly.

I smiled back and then our car arrived.

It was about an hour drive from the airport to my house in Beverly Hills with traffic. Nathan and I talked about what we wanted to do in LA while we were here. He wanted me to show him where I had gone to school, maybe go to a concert. Had we been here a few months earlier we would have been able to go to a Lakers Game but their season was over now.

"This is not your house." Nathan said as we pulled into the driveway.

"Uh, yeah it is." I frowned at him and laughed as his jaw had dropped to the floor.

"Savannah, this isn't a house, it's a castle."

"It's not a castle." I laughed louder this time, "It's like… I don't know how many square feet. It's on 2 acres of land. We have a mote which is awesome."

"It's a freaking castle!" Nathan exclaimed.

We stopped the car and I motioned to the other cars in the driveway.

"Obviously someone is here. I'm hoping it's our friends. Come on. I'll give you the grand tour in a little bit."

Nathan was still shocked as we headed for the front door.

The entryway of this house had always been one of my favorite things. It was bright because of the chandelier but during the day it was more beautifully lit because of the glass ceiling up above. The staircase was to my left and it circled up to the landing upstairs. I remembered as a kid loving having a winding front staircase.

"Hello! Is anyone home?"

Almost immediately the housekeeper, Lupita, who had worked for my family all my life, appeared and I found myself wrapped in her embrace.

"Savannah, dios mio! No puedo creer que es usted!"

I hugged her back and grinned as Nathan watched with raised eyebrows.

"Lupita, esto es Nathan. Nathan, this is our housekeeper Lupita. She's worked here since I was born, probably before." I introduced them and she happily shook his hand, offering to take the few bags he had carried in from the car.

"Um… ok." He let her take them and almost immediately she had whisked them off to a bedroom. I assumed she knew where to take them as I heard her instructing another member of the staff to get the rest of the bags from the car and take them to our room as well.

"Lupita! Nadie está aquí? Mis amigos?" I asked her if the rest of the group was here before she could disappear too far.

"Sí, en la sala de cine." She replied, joining us again in the foyer, "Estoy tan contento que estás casa. ¿Te quedas mucho tiempo?"

"Sólo una semana." She had asked if we were staying long because she was glad I was home so I told her we would be here for a week. She had also told me that the rest of our friends were in the movie theater which worked for me. It gave me a few minutes to show Nathan a lot of the rest of the house before taking him downstairs to see everyone else.

"Ahh, is ok." She grinned at me speaking with her broken English as she smiled at Nathan too, "Go, have fun."

I took Nathan's hand and led him through the house.

"This is the kitchen." I showed him the open kitchen with it's island in the middle. There were counters everywhere. Two microwaves. Two ovens. Two stovetops. Cabinets lining every wall. I smiled as again Nathan's mouth dropped open, "Want a snack before we continue?"

"Yeah. Did Lupita tell you where everyone is?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I forget you don't speak Spanish. They are downstairs in the movie theater."

"Movie theater Savannah?" Nathan gawked, "This is not a house. It's a mansion."

"Shut up." I threw him an apple from one of the three refrigerators, "Come on silly. There's more house to see before we go surprise everyone."

I took him around this level of the house. Mostly there were just the formal rooms of the house. The ballroom, formal living room, etc. but my favorite room of the house was also on this level. The library.

"It's the only one of it's kind anywhere." I told him as we headed towards the circular library, "It's floating on the water. See, we're crossing the bridge."

I pointed out the windows to show him the water surrounding us as we walked across the enclosed bridge to the library.

"And not only that but look. That's the wine cellar." I pointed down and again Nathan was amazed to see the glass floor looking straight into the wine cellar beneath us.

"This is amazing Savannah." Nathan sighed, "You seriously grew up in this place?"

"Yeah, mostly. I mean, we traveled in the summers. Up until I was three we spent every single summer in Spain. Then after that we would go different places. Italy, France, Australia… just depended on where my dad wanted to take us. For the most part, if we weren't at school or on vacation though, we were in this house. This was like the party house. All our friends would come hang out here cause usually my parents weren't here you know? So yeah…"

"And I thought I lived the good life in Tree Hill." Nathan laughed, "The view is amazing too."

Outside the library windows were trees and water and the lush grounds we used to play on as kids all the time. Just looking outside brought back tons of memories especially lit up the way it was now. We had loved to play in the yard at night.

"Come on. There's more house to see." I pulled Nathan upstairs and laughed when I saw that Lupita had put our things in the master bedroom, "I guess since my room here isn't furnished, Lupita thought it would be good to put us in the master. We're gonna have to switch. I can't sleep in my parents bed with you."

We looked around and took in the mostly unlived in bedroom. Everything was crisply cleaned and placed. The king bed was immaculately made up. The sitting area was primped and poised in front of the fireplace. Even the high ceilings seemed to have been recently dusted. Had to give our staff props for keeping an empty house clean. I wouldn't have bothered.

After showing him the his and hers bathrooms of the master bedroom then showing him the other rooms upstairs, I decided it was time to take him downstairs and find the rest of the group in the movie theater.

"Shh…" I led Nathan down the staircase and motioned for him to whisper, "You ready?"

He nodded and I quietly opened the door to the theater obviously blinding the occupants inside since the theater was dark except for the movie showing and the light from the hallway was bright.

It took a second but as soon as we had closed the door behind us and their eyes adjusted again, everyone was running towards us.

"Oh my God!" Brooke reached us first hugging us both, "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to spend time with you guys here so we came home early." I replied as I moved from hugging Brooke to Lucas to Bevin to Skills and finally Camille. It was weird seeing her without Tim and without even a word I could see in her eyes that she was sad.

"How you holding up?" I whispered to her when we hugged.

"Not great." She admitted with a sniffle. She was trying to hold back her tears.

"It'll be ok." I assured her with a small smile, "You still have us."

She nodded and then turned away to drop the subject.

"What are we watching?" I asked as they all headed back to their seats and Nathan and I found our own.

It was stadium seating but there were only eight plush brown leather reclining seats.

"Moulin Rouge." Brooke replied happily, "When we talked to you guys yesterday it reminded us of it."

"Good choice." I agreed.

There was only about thirty minutes of the movie left but I fell asleep during it, realizing that jet lag was catching up to me a bit. Instinctively, when the movie turned off though, my eyes opened.

"Nathan's asleep." Bevin smiled and I looked over to see Nathan had fallen asleep too.

"Well, we woke up in France to catch a noon flight from there so technically, Paris time it's like 4 am right now but since LA is 9 hours behind, it's actually only 7 pm here so… we're a bit lost." I explained.

"You guys should sleep then." Lucas said, "We don't really have plans for tonight so you won't miss anything. Get some sleep so you can be ready to go to the graduation tomorrow."

"Ah yes… BHP graduation." I laughed, "We should sleep. I have to look fabulous so that they all realize what they missed this year."

"When do you not look fabulous?" Bevin rolled her eyes, "Which room is yours?"

"Well, Lupita put my stuff in the master bedroom because I don't think my room is furnished anymore… but I don't think I can sleep in there."

Camille laughed.

"Yeah, I noticed they didn't refurnish your old room. Um, I put everyone in guest rooms so if you are choosing a room, you'll either have to have the master or Xander's old room or Mariah's old room." Camille said.

"How many rooms are in this house?" Skills asked, "It's like it's own apartment complex."

"Technically there are ten bedrooms but you guys are using three of the rooms, my old room is not furnished, and three of the rooms are for the staff. So that leaves Xander, Mariah, or the master bedroom. And with those choices, I will choose the master bedroom because at least there I have the use of my favorite bathroom in the house."

"Oh my God, we saw the his and hers bathrooms from the master bedroom and I almost cried. Seriously…" Brooke sighed, "So beautiful."

I smiled.

"Yeah. I love those bathrooms." I reached over to wake Nathan, "Nate, come on. Let's go to bed."

He stirred slightly but didn't actually wake up.

"Nathan…" I sighed and shook him a bit more, "Come on you."

He woke up and opened his eyes, frowning at me.

"Come on. Let's go to bed."

We said goodnight to everyone quickly and then headed upstairs to the bedroom, Nathan collapsing into the bed and falling back asleep almost immediately. I took his shoes and pants off of him so he could be comfortable and then stripped down to my own underwear, finding a tank top in my luggage to slip on before sliding into bed next to him.

When he found me under the covers and pulled me over to him I smiled. I knew that it was instinct for him to do that at night now. He could be completely dead asleep and would still know when I was in bed and find my body to pull me close.

I sighed contentedly and the next thing I remembered was the sunlight streaming in the window to wake me up. I opened my eyes briefly and groaned, turning over to face Nathan instead of the window. He was already awake, staring at me.

"Hi." He said simply.

"Hi." I responded with a smile, "You sleep well?"

He nodded.

"Someone took my shoes and pants off me though. You don't think anyone took advantage while I was sleeping do you?"

I laughed and shrugged.

"Maybe. You are awfully sexy."

"Well, I hope it was a girl at least…"

"Nathan!" I reached over and smacked his arm playfully, "Check your phone please. What time is it?"

Nathan reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his cell phone. He frowned for a second and then told me that it was about 8 am.

"What's with the frown?" I asked.

"I have a missed call from Haley." He pressed a button and put the phone to his ear, "I'm gonna call her back to see what's up."

I nodded and slipped from the bed, heading for my luggage so I could begin the process of deciding what to wear today. Graduation was going to be at 3 in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to get ready and get there, but I wanted to make sure I looked perfect. After all, there would be a few people at this thing who would be hoping I had fallen apart after the way I left.

"Hey, you called me?" Nathan asked into the phone, so I assumed that Haley had answered, "Oh, thank you."

I kind of wished I could hear her side of the conversation. Not that I was not happy for them to be on speaking terms again, but it was kind of weird. If nothing else, she was still his wife and I was his sort of girlfriend…

"Yeah, hold on." Nathan slipped from the bed and handed me the phone, placing a quick kiss on my forehead and then disappearing into "his" bathroom.

I was a little confused but I put the phone to my ear and said hello anyway.

"Hey Savannah." Haley sounded cheery, "So you guys are in LA now? How was France?"

"France was beautiful and enchanting, as it always is." I replied, "Have you ever been there?"

"No, but I really hope I get to go soon. I've always wanted to travel."

"Definitely do it." I said, "Europe is gorgeous."

There was a brief pause in the conversation as I waited for Haley to continue and when she didn't, I was forced to ask.

"So what's up? Didn't you call to talk to Nathan?"

"Sort of. It's still kind of weird talking to him." Haley laughed nervously, "So sometimes I feel more comfortable getting you to relay messages."

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow and sighed, "Ok, so what's the message."

"Well, I know that you guys are going to your old high school graduation today and I'm sure that you probably already have plans afterward but Jake and I were thinking it would be really cool to do like a dinner party at our house. You could invite all your friends from your old school and we can all just hang out. It's like, my rare night where I have nothing to do and since you're all in town, I just thought it would be fun. Give me a chance to see everyone again since I'm sure it won't happen as often once everyone splits up to go to college and stuff. Plus, I still seriously have a lot of time to make up for from when I left and I just want to be the one to host the party this time since I've never really done it before and…"

"And you're rambling." I cut her off before she could continue to try to come up with reasons why it was a good idea, "It sounds like fun. I will run it by everyone and we will call you later. Is that cool?"

"Yes." Haley sounded like she was smiling, "Thank you Savannah. I know realistically things should be more weird between you and me then they are between me and Nathan or even me and any of my other friends but um… I feel like you'll listen to me without judging."

"That's what I'm here for." I smiled as I pulled a really cute cream and gold dress from my suitcase. I had bought it in France and it was perfect for this day, "Hey, you could come to graduation with us if you want."

"Well, if we're doing this thing tonight I have shopping and cooking to do so I will pass but call me and let me know what the plan is for tonight ok?"

"Will do." I stopped staring at my clothes and focused on the conversation, "I'll call you later."

"Alright, thanks again. Have fun today."

"Yeah, no problem. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed along with my dress as I continued to rifle through the luggage for the finishing pieces for my ensemble. I needed shoes, jewelry…

"So, what did Haley want to talk to you about?" Nathan came out of the bathroom obviously haven taken a quick shower as he was wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"She wants us all to come over for a dinner party at her house tonight." I took in his appearance with a smile, "What'd she want to talk to you about?"

"Tell me happy birthday." He smiled back, cocking his head to the side, "You like what you see?"

"Of course I do." I dropped the shoes in my hand and headed for him as I bit my lower lip, "You're so damn sexy."

"So are you." He leaned over to kiss me just as a knock on the door interrupted us.

I sighed and turned to the door.

"Come in!"

Brooke and Bevin both bounced through the door together giggling happily but stopping when they saw Nathan standing there in just his towel. Brooke grinned and raised her eyebrows as Bevin's eyes just grew wide.

"I'm sorry. Are we interrupting something?" Brooke teased.

"No." Nathan replied being polite because I was about to tell them yes, "What am I supposed to wear to this thing today?"

"I'd say that towel looks good." Bevin offered.

"Hey!" I objected making Bevin and Brooke both laugh at me, "Semi-nice-ish stuff would be good."

I turned to Nathan who was frowning at me.

"Semi-nice-ish?" He smiled, "Way to be descriptive."

"I'm wearing that dress." I pointed to the bed where I had thrown my dress, "Wear something nice. It's a graduation. We were just at one of those remember?"

Nathan stuck his tongue out at me but laughed, reaching down to grab one of his suitcases making sure to hold his towel so it wouldn't fall as he did.

"Whatever. I'll be in my bathroom. Make sure you find semi-nice-ish shoes to wear with your semi-nice-ish dress."

"Haha, so funny." I stuck my tongue out at him as he disappeared back into the bathroom, then I turned back to the girls and smiled, "So, what's up?"

"We figured, since we have a few hours before the graduation, maybe we could all go out for breakfast or something together this morning?" Brooke asked, "We figured it would be good to get Cammie out of the house. Since we got here she's been kinda down so even though she's supposed to be getting her mind off Tim, she's not really doing anything to occupy her time."

"Really…" I crinkled my nose, "Yeah, we should get her out of the house then. Um, Haley called, and she wants to know if we all want to go to her house for a dinner party tonight."

"Ooh, that would be fun!" Bevin exclaimed but Brooke didn't seem as excited so Bevin stopped rejoicing, "Wouldn't it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess." Brooke shrugged, "I do love Haley and I do really want to see her house. I bet it's not nearly as nice as this one."

"Stop." I rolled my eyes, "Did Camille give you guys the grand tour?"

"Yes. Oh my God, the indoor spa is like… amazing." Brooke laughed, "I would seriously spend all my time in there."

That was one of the areas I hadn't gotten around to showing Nathan the day before. We had an indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, weight room and steam room too. He would have really liked that area. I could be as soon as he knew about it he would spend at least a few hours there.

"In the winter it's really nice having an indoor pool." I admitted with a sigh, "I miss this house."

We all fell silent. I was thinking about all the good times in this house I had had when I was growing up. There were a lot to reminisce on. Most of them had to do with a few chosen people in my life. Camille, Xander, Bryan…

"Alright, well, if we are going out to eat we all need to get dressed. I guess I will wait until we get back to put that dress on." I sighed staring down at my luggage, "I should learn not to give myself so many choices."

"Is this semi-nice-ish enough for you?" Nathan came out of the bathroom in black dress pants and a cream button down shirt which was all buttoned except the top button.

I smiled.

"Yes but you need to change. We're going out to eat first and then come back here to get ready for graduation."

Nathan glared at me and then sighed.

"Alright. I'll be out in a minute."

Bevin and Brooke laughed as they left the room, closing the door behind them as they too headed out to go get dressed and hopefully to let everyone else know the plans for the day.

Sifting through the rest of my luggage I finally settled on black pants, a light black jacket perfect for mornings in Beverly Hills, and a black tank underneath. Slipping on silver flip flops and accessorizing with the necklace Nathan had given me for Christmas, I just had to go in the bathroom and pull my hair into a messy ponytail before I was ready to go.

"How very gothic chic of you." Nathan teased me as he joined me in "my" bathroom a few minutes later. He was wearing a basic red graphic tee and jeans with black tennis shoes. His hair was already done and he was smiling at me while I applied quick coats of lip gloss and mascara to my face.

"Gee thanks." I smiled back at him, "It's not gothic, is it?"

"No." He reached around my waist and fitted his hands in my front pockets as his way of holding me against him, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." I instinctively tilted my head to the side allowing Nathan access to kiss my neck, "So are you cool with this dinner party at Haley's tonight?"

"Mmm hmm…" Nathan didn't take his attention away from my neck.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He said quickly and finally pulled his lips away for a second, "It's fine with me. You ok with it?"

I nodded and for a second we both just stared at each other's reflections in the mirror. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Are you wearing yours?" I asked, fingering my necklace.

He pulled one hand out of my pocket and reached up to pull his necklace from underneath his shirt with a nod. I grinned and turned around to look at him.

"I always carry your heart with me." He whispered against my lips, "I keep it safe."

"Me too."

It had taken awhile to get used to but I had eventually stopped wearing the necklace that Bryan had given me for my birthday which I still loved but which meant far less to me than this necklace Nathan had given to me. Now I just constantly kept this necklace on, no matter what.

"Come on. Let's go see what everyone else is up to."

Nathan and I grabbed our cell phones. I grabbed my purse and car keys and we headed downstairs, finding almost everyone gathered in the library, laughing and ready to go to breakfast.

"Where's Camille?" I asked, noticing she was the only one missing.

"I couldn't convince her to go." Brooke shrugged innocently and I sighed.

"Alright. I'll be back."

I headed up the staircase again and found what had always been Camille's favorite room of the house. The room she called her bedroom. I knocked softly before entering and found her sitting in the window seat, wrapped up in a blanket despite the warmth of the room. I could tell she was crying but she was trying desperately to hide it from me.

"Hey you…" I went and sat with her on the window seat, placing my hand on her knee, "You ok?"

She sniffled and shook her head no, refusing to look at me.

"Cammie… everything's going to be ok. Tim loves you…"

"What if he dies?" Camille turned to me suddenly and I was almost a little scared by the fear in her eyes, "What if he gets shipped off to war and he dies? I can't live without him Savannah. I… It's not fair. He just wanted to go to college and keep playing basketball. He's not a soldier. He's not strong enough for that!"

"Tim is stronger than any of us realize." I replied immediately, "Think about it Camille. Just coming to terms with having to go do that, to fight for our country. Accepting that he was entering the military, leaving you who he loves so much. That takes a lot of strength."

"He's funny and happy and goofy." Camille sniffled some more, "He's not a Marine! He's not made for that!"

"Maybe… but look at it this way. The Marine's he's out there with, the ones who are serious and need cheering up, Tim's gonna be there for them. He's gonna make everyone laugh. He'll bring happiness to so many people!"

She was still pouting but she didn't disagree with me.

"Come on. Get up, get dressed, go out to breakfast with us. Tim would not want you to sulk ok? He's going to come back and when he does, you'll still be waiting for him, ready to take him back with open arms. He'll protect the country and when he comes home, you'll protect him."

Camille sighed, wiping her tears and nodding.

"I guess you're right." She said, "I'm just so worried Savannah."

"Don't be worried Cammie. He's going to be fine."

Sure, I wasn't positive that he was going to be fine. I had no guarantee of that as I couldn't tell the future but I knew that he wasn't going down without a fight. He would do anything he could to come back to Camille.

Ten minutes later we were back in the library. Gathering up the group we headed out to Camille's favorite breakfast restaurant in Hollywood, Duke's Coffee Shop on Sunset Boulevard.

"Mmm…" Camille inhaled deeply when we walked into the small restaurant, "I miss this smell."

"Hi girls!" Margie, one of the regular waitresses, greeted us, "I thought I was never going to see you guys again! Where have you been?"

"We moved to North Carolina." I replied giving her a hug, "How are you?"

"Doing great. Big group today." She grinned from ear to ear, grabbing us a pile of menus, "I'll give you your usual table and we can pull some more together ok?"

"Thank you Margie." Camille said.

Our usual table was in the back corner where we could have privacy but people watch at the same time. Margie helped us pull enough tables together so we could all sit and then she laid out our menus in front of us.

"Coffee and orange juice for everyone?" She knew what Camille and I usually ordered but I wasn't sure it would be okay for everyone else.

The group agreed with coffee and orange juice though, so Margie took off to get our drinks leaving us to look over the menus.

"Pretty much anything is good but their omelettes are amazing." I told everyone, "Order what you want. It's on me."

They had all given up protesting to me paying for everything a long time ago, thankfully, because I always won out in the end. It make me feel good to be able to pay for stuff for my friends, especially when I knew at least a few of them couldn't afford it otherwise.

Margie returned with coffee and orange juice for each of us and then stood at the end of the table near Camille and I, grinning.

"Your usual girls or did North Carolina change your taste buds?" She asked with a laugh, "Why North Carolina anyway?"

"My parents shipped me there." I told her, "And Camille followed me but it worked out for the best. These are all our friends who we graduated from high school with over there a couple weeks ago."

"Congratulations!" Margie patted me on the back, "So introduce your friends."

"This is Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, Bevin and Skills."

They all said hi to Margie and then went back to try to decide what to eat.

"Alright, so, what'll it be today?"

"I'll have my usual." I told her, closing my menu.

"Me too." Camille handed me her menu so I could start a stack.

"Ok, one Monterey omelette for Savannah and one Avocado, Bacon and Cheese omelette for Camille. Both with English muffin and fresh fruit?"

"Yep." Camille and I said at the same time.

"Alright, what else?"

We looked over at our friends and after a couple seconds they too began to order.

"I will be back shortly." Margie grinned, "Oh, where's Xander and Bryan? Those boys promised me that they would come see me and I haven't seen them in forever!"

Camille and I laughed.

"Xander is in Tree Hill, where we live, awaiting the birth of his first child and Bryan is in college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina." Camille told her, "But we will tell them they owe you a visit."

"You better."

When Margie was gone we all started to talk amongst ourselves.

"How long have you guys been coming here?" Brooke asked, "She knows you better than my parents know me."

"We've been coming here since we were like 11." I answered her, "It's like a tradition, breakfast at Duke's. Especially on special occasions, we would come here in big groups and just pig out."

"Shannon and Kaycee have no idea we're here by the way." Camille said, "I didn't tell them we were coming so they are going to be super surprised."

"That'll be fun." I was actually getting excited about going to the graduation now, even though I knew there was going to be drama, "Out of curiosity, do we know if Jackson and Chenille are going to be there?"

"No idea." Camille sighed, "You're not worried about it are you?"

"No." I replied quickly, "I'm really not, but just thought I would prepare myself."

Nathan leaned over and kissed my temple, probably instinctively. It was a sweet gesture but I really wasn't worried about my ex-boyfriend and his slut wife. I was beyond over Jackson. So far over him it was hard to even remember a time when I had actually not been over him.

Our food arrived shortly and we ate as we all continued to talk about what we would do for the rest of our time in LA and about our plans for the rest of the day.

When we got back to the house it was already 11 am so everyone headed to their rooms to start getting ready. Even though the actual graduation didn't start until 3, it was mandatory if you wanted to sit instead of stand to get there at least two hours early. We were all dressed, out the door, and sitting in the BHP football stands by 1:15.

"This is surreal." I said quietly to Nathan as I looked around the stadium, "It feels like a lifetime ago since I was here.

"It was a year." He replied, "Right?"

I nodded and leaned into him, my head resting on his shoulder with his arm around me.

"I'm a little nervous." I admitted.

"Don't be. Nothing can happen today that will change anything." He kissed the top of my head and I nodded again, smiling to myself.

"Camille?"

I heard a familiar voice nearby and my head snapped up despite the fact that the person who spoke hadn't seen me yet.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?" The short blonde girl bounced a young baby on her hip and behind her stood her husband, my ex-boyfriend.

If I was hoping to avoid Jackson and Chenille, my hope had just died. Here they stood, their offspring and all, in the flesh.

"We came to see our friends graduate." Camille responded and I could almost hear her gritting her teeth.

"We?" I heard the question and it was then that Jackson turned and looked directly at me, his eyes widening as did Chenille's. Chenille was so surprised that she almost dropped her baby.

"Hi." I waved at them but no one said a word.

"Um, Savannah it's… it's good to see you." Jackson said and Chenille turned to glare at him, "Are um, are these your friends?"

"Yeah, these are all our friends from North Carolina. Bevin, Skills, Brooke, Lucas and Nathan… this is Jackson and Chenille and… what's the baby's name?" Chenille didn't look like she wanted to tell me but Jackson sort of smiled at me, which was creepy and weird.

"Her name's Olivia Grace." Jackson replied.

"Nice to meet you." Bevin, who didn't really know the history between all of us, stood and shook their hands, even playing with the baby before she returned to her seat.

The rest of our friends just politely said hi. Nathan put his arm around my waist and I saw Jackson's smile turn to a frown.

"I'm gonna go find a seat." Chenille turned to Jackson as if she expected him to follow but he just nodded and sent her on her way.

"So um, how are you?" Jackson slid into the seat behind me and leaned forward to talk to me, "You doing ok in North Carolina?"

"I'm doing great." I responded. Camille and Nathan were both frowning at me because it was weird with Jackson sitting to talk to us.

"I uh, never got a chance to apologize for what Chenille did to you. Framing you like that. It wasn't right."

"Oh, now you admit you knew about it?" Camille turned to him and glared, "Why are you talking to us?"

"Cammie, I…"

"No. My friends are allowed to call me Cammie. You are definitely not my friend anymore. Please, just go away. Go find your whore and have a nice life. We're not here for you. We're here to support our friends who are graduating, something you might know something about if you had kept your dick in your pants instead of cheating on your girlfriend and knocking up Chenille, ok? Buh-bye."

Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Bevin and Skills were laughing. My mouth had fallen open. I never heard Camille talk to anyone like that. I knew the girl had attitude but to tell off Jackson that way.

"Yeah ok." Jackson nodded and stood up but then he sat back down and put his hand on my shoulder, "I just wanted to say I was sorry ok? I'm glad you're doing good in North Carolina and Nathan, congratulations. She's amazing. Don't let her go."

Before any of us could say another word he had disappeared, leaving me feeling confused. Why had he been so nice?

"Forget about him." Camille said, reading my mind, "He's playing games with you and you know it. Let's just enjoy our day."

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Yes, let's just enjoy our day."

A few parents of students we had been friends with came by to say hello but other than that we waited until the ceremony started in relative peace. We talked about what else we wanted to do while we were in LA and what the plans were when we got back to Tree Hill. Only a few more weeks and we would officially all be split into different parts of the country.

"Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for joining us this afternoon for our graduation ceremonies. We will begin in just a moment."

Camille and I both rolled our eyes as we heard the dean speak. He was probably one of the biggest assholes I'd ever met, right up there with Dan Scott. Thankfully he only had a few times when he had to speak and after another hour of ceremony, the graduation was over and Camille and I were running towards the field to surprise our friends.

"OH MY GOD!" Kaycee was the first one to spot us. Her long straight blonde hair fell out of it's delicate upswept hairdo as she sprinted towards us and almost knocked us over as she hugged us both at the same time, "I cannot believe you came! Oh my God, I'm so glad you're here!"

Shannon spotted us next and joined the group hug quickly. It didn't take long before we were surrounded by my former teammates and Camille's former cheer-mates. Everyone was talking at the same time and it was at least twenty minutes before I remembered we had ditched our Tree Hill friends.

I looked around the crowded field but I found Nathan pretty easily. My eyes were immediately drawn to him and he smiled with a quick wave.

"You guys, we brought our friends from Tree Hill with us. You have to meet them." I grabbed Shannon and Kaycee who I wanted to introduce first. I knew the rest of the group would follow as I led them to where our other friends were standing, "This is Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Bevin and Skills."

We introduced them to as many of our friends as we could and for awhile we all chatted. Once the parents and families began to gather their graduates, it was eventually left to just our Tree Hill group with Shannon and Kaycee. Shannon's parents had stopped by to give her the keys to her graduation present, a new car, and Kaycee's parents had called in their congratulations from Bermuda. Absentee parents was probably one of the things that had made us all such great friends.

"So listen, our friend Haley is having a dinner party at her house here and she said we can invite anyone we want so, do you guys wanna come?"

"I'm in." Kaycee said immediately, "I have nothing better to do. Chenille wanted to throw some sort of party but I'm so over them. You know how hard she's tried to be friends with us since you left? It's like she really thinks we're just gonna forget what she did to you."

"Yeah, Jackson was abnormally nice today." I replied, "What's the story anyway? I know he dropped out and she had a baby but she didn't continue going to school here?"

"No." Shannon shook her head, "Dean Barron didn't want the image of a pregnant teen here so he told her parents she had to leave and I think she got her GED or something. She's so trivial though. You're good now right? You're over that."

"Very." I looked up at Nathan and smiled as he leaned over to kiss my forehead softly, "So anyway, Shannon, party at Haley's house?"

"By chance is this Haley James we're talking about?" Shannon piqued her eyebrow at me, "Cause I'm a big fan and I know she went to your high school in Tree Hill and I also know that she's married to your boyfriend so…"

"Uh…" I looked at Nathan whose eyes were wide and then I looked back at Shannon, "How do you know that?"

"TMZ printed this story about her when she was going back to Tree Hill to graduate with everyone and it said she was married to Tree Hill Ravens basketball star Nathan Scott. That's you right?"

"Um, yeah." Nathan sighed, "I didn't realize anyone knew about that."

"A lot of people know. After TMZ said it the news spread to ET, Entertainment Tonight, US Weekly… I'm surprised that you weren't harassed for comment." Shannon frowned, "Especially since you're not exactly being the faithful husband now are you?"

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea." Lucas spoke up suddenly, sensing Nathan tensing behind me just as I was.

"Wait, this is ridiculous." Kaycee put her hands up in effort to be peacemaker, "Shan, you know that they're getting a divorce. That was in the same story in US Weekly! And you also know that Haley James is dating her guitarist Jake Jagielski so why are you harassing Nathan?"

Shannon sighed and let her head fall backwards.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to us all, "I might have kind of pre-judged you Nathan. I uh, read all the stories cause like I said, I'm a big fan and so I just sort of assumed that you were a bad guy…"

"What did the stories say is the reason we're getting a divorce?" Nathan asked, squeezing my hand in his.

"It didn't. Haley wouldn't comment and I guess no one even tried to get a comment from you…"

"No, they did." Camille sighed cutting off Shannon, "You know how we only check the messages on the house phone like once a week? There were like twenty thousand messages asking for comment and I just deleted all of them. I didn't want you to have to deal with it Nathan. Sorry."

"Oh." Nathan shrugged, "That makes sense. I wouldn't have known what to say anyway so… thanks, I guess."

"Why are you getting a divorce?" Shannon asked and I decided it was time to step in.

"Alright, this is not 20 questions nor is it Entertainment Tonight ok? If Nathan wants you to know that story he can tell you but right now, you have the choice to come with us to dinner or not to come and if you decide to come, I will expect you to not ask personal questions like that ok because if Haley wasn't going to comment to the press, I doubt she's going to want a stranger in her house asking the same questions."

Shannon looked at me like I had slapped her. Everyone in the group fell quiet.

"I don't think I wanna go." Shannon glared at me, "You have changed a lot since you left. My friend Savannah never would have treated me like trash just for asking a question. I have to go."

She turned to leave and I groaned.

"Shannon!" I called out to her but she just shook her head and continued to walk away, "Excuse me for a minute you guys."

I ran after her and stopped her by standing in her path and grabbing her shoulders.

"Shannon, I love you. You know that so don't be like this ok? I just… I try to protect Nathan and it's been really hard on him, this whole thing with Haley. I understand being curious, I do but to be blunt, it's just not any of your business. Now, you're a fan of Haley's. Wouldn't it be cool for you to meet her? See her house? She's cooking the dinner herself and I mean, I don't know your plans after high school, but Haley's cool. Maybe you could even be friends with her and how awesome would that be right? All I'm asking is just leave the personal questions in the car, ok? Please?"

Shannon was staring at the floor but she slowly looked up at me and nodded.

"I was more embarrassed than anything else." She said softly, "I don't know what got into me. They are all complete strangers and you know me. You know I wouldn't usually start asking stuff like that. I think I just got nervous and had word vomit and I'm sorry I went off on you."

I hugged her and she hugged me back, both of us smiling happily.

"I am so happy you're here!" She exclaimed as we began to walk back to the group, "And I promise I will be on my best behavior tonight."

"Good."

The field was starting to clear out of students and parents alike. It was about 5 pm by this time and we needed to be at Haley's house by 7. There would be traffic and I didn't quite know where we were going so it was probably a good idea for us to head there directly from the school. We all decided who was going to ride with who and then headed for the parking lot.

"Nathan, call Haley and let her know we're on our way then enter the address into GPS so I know where I'm going please."

"Yes ma'am." Nathan smiled at me and quickly dialed Haley's number on his phone while I checked to make sure the rest of the group was following me in their own cars.

"So this is exciting." Kaycee commented while we drove, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." I smiled into the rearview mirror at her.

"Hey Jake, it's Nathan. We are on our way but can I get the address again? We're not 100% sure where to go so we're going to use GPS. You have no idea how many times GPS has saved us. Savannah has a horrible sense of direction."

"Hey!" I objected and Kaycee giggled in the backseat.

I watched Nathan enter the address into GPS and immediately the car sprang to life with directions, the first of which was to make a U-Turn, because I was going the wrong way.

"Oh, this should be fun." I sighed, moving into the turn lane with three cars behind me doing the same, "Here we go."

Nathan laughed as he hung up the phone with Jake and I made sure that all three cars were able to U-Turn behind me before I continued on. Then we were officially on our way.

"So where are you going to college?" Nathan struck up conversation with Kaycee, "Or are you going to college?"

"I am." She grinned, "I got accepted to UCLA, USC, and UNC on full basketball scholarships. I accepted UCLA."

"I got a scholarship to UCLA too." I told her and her eyes grew wide, "I turned it down though."

"What? Why? Savannah!" Kaycee exclaimed, "We would have been going to school together again!"

"Camille and I have an agent in New York." I told her, "We're gonna be models. We're moving there in a few weeks actually and yeah, I could have gotten out of it and chosen UCLA instead but, I just decided I was done with basketball."

"Wait, but aren't you guys the North Carolina State champions? I paid attention to what you were doing in North Carolina Ms. Thing. You played on a boys team! You rocked! Co-MVP!"

I looked at Nathan and he smiled, reaching over and squeezing the hand not currently on the wheel.

"It was amazing but basketball is not something I'm going to pursue." I didn't feel like I needed to explain further, "It's awesome you're going to UCLA though. Nathan's going to Duke. Lucas is going to UNC where Bryan goes. He's moving into Bryan's house actually."

"Really?" Kaycee laughed, "That's kinda funny. Like, Bryan's your ex and then imagine if it was Nathan instead of Lucas. Cute."

"I dated Lucas too." I admitted and Nathan groaned.

"Please, let's not remind me of that okay? That's gross." Nathan complained, "Thank God I was at High Flyers most of that summer so I didn't have to watch you guys make out."

"Hey, I had a lot of time having to watch you make out with Haley so you shut it."

Kaycee was laughing loudly in the backseat and when we finally stopped bickering, I glanced at her in the rearview mirror and started to laugh with her. I had a feeling she was laughing at Nathan and I but just seeing her laugh as hard as she was laughing was what made me laugh.

"You guys are hilarious." She said when she finally caught her breath, "Seriously, I kind of wish I had moved to Tree Hill too. I was so jealous when Cammie said she was moving with you. I felt like our group was breaking up and I didn't get to move on."

"And then you realized that there were no girls basketball teams in Tree Hill and you were glad you stayed right?" I teased her.

"Um… yeah, sort of. Until I heard you were playing with the boys and then I was jealous all over again. Did you get to hang out in the boys locker room too? Like, how did showers after the games work?"

This time it was Nathan who was laughing loudly.

"The girls had a separate locker room." He said through his laughter, "She showered with the cheerleaders."

"Aww… disappointing." Kaycee frowned, "Showers with boys are so much more fun."

"Yes they are." I eyed Nathan and he started to blush a bit when Kaycee gasped.

"Dirty!" She exclaimed, "You guys are so adorable though. Like, not that I'm trying to be a psycho like Shannon earlier, but how does this work exactly? Nathan's married but you guys are together and you're friends with Nathan's wife and her new boyfriend? I'm so confused. I mean, if I'm prying tell me to shut up, but seriously, I've been racking my brain for a way that could work and I can't seem to find it."

"Haley and I… we both realized that mistakes were made and we would already be divorced but North Carolina law says we have to be separated for a year first, so in the time we've been separated we've sort of… come to terms with everything. She has Jake. I have Savannah. We're all good with that." Nathan explained.

"Again, tell me to shut up if you want, but aren't there still feelings there? Like, if you loved her enough to marry her, isn't there still something there? With Haley?"

"Yeah, of course there is." Nathan squeezed my hand again as he forged ahead in the conversation, "A part of me will always love her but we both know we just need to move on. There's no way that we could put the past behind us and be together again. It just wouldn't work."

"I still don't think I get it but that's probably because I've never been in love that way before." Kaycee sighed, "That's like over the moon, total commitment, Romeo & Juliet type shit. I don't know that I could ever trust anyone that way."

"When you find it, you'll change your mind." I told her, glancing over at Nathan and winking, "And trust me, it's worth it."

"So hey, how's Xander?" Kaycee changed the subject, "You're sexy brother is still at the top of my fantasy list and I'm kind of disappointed he's not here."

Nathan and I both giggled.

"Xander is doing good. He is at home, in Tree Hill, with his wife who should be popping out their baby any time now."

Kaycee screamed which startled me and luckily I didn't drive the car off the road.

"Oh my God, shut up! Xander is married! To who? I thought he was all like 'I'm a playa. I don't need to be tied down to one woman. Keep the pimp hand strong." type guy. You're kidding that he's married right?"

"No, not at all." I grinned, "They got married in December. She was one of the first friends I made in Tree Hill. She's our age. Her name is Peyton and uh… it was like love at first sight I guess. They met like the day after I moved to Tree Hill and then that was it. They got engaged in Spain, she got pregnant, they got married, and now here we are. They wanted to come with us but because she's in her third trimester she's not allowed to travel."

"That is insane. Like, that might be harder to comprehend than this whole you, Nathan, Haley love triangle thing…"

"Rectangle actually." I joked, "Don't forget Jake."

"Oh right, Jake Jagielski!" Kaycee laughed, "It's cool though. Wow, Xander is married. I guess I have to move on to my second fantasy boy then."

"Which is…"

"Bryan." Kaycee grinned, "You're done with him right?"

"Oh geez." I rolled my eyes and we continued to joke, laugh, and talk all the way to Haley's house.

The drive from the school to the house really shouldn't have taken long as it ended up being only a few miles apart, but we hit the horrific traffic that always plagued Sunset Blvd and so it took us about an hour to get up into the hills to Haley's house. There was a bit of parking on the Hollywood Hills street and a couple of us pulled into the driveway near the garage. We were early but I hoped Haley was going to be okay with that.

"This house is so beautiful!" Brooke exclaimed as she stepped out of the car Lucas had been driving, "Not as killer as your house Savannah, but we could throw bitching pool parties here. I'm gonna have to talk to Haley about that for when I move out here."

"You're moving here?" Kaycee asked as she bounced around happily.

"Yeah, I have an internship here." Brooke grinned.

"I'm going to UCLA. We totally have to hang out. What's your phone number?"

Nathan wrapped his arm around my waist and squeezed me as we watched Brooke, Kaycee, and Shannon exchange phone numbers.

"Are you happy?" He asked me before we approached the front door of the house.

It was a normal question and yet weird at the same time. I could only be honest with him though.

"Yes, extremely. Are you?"

Nathan nodded and kissed my forehead.

"How can I not be when I have you?"

"Hey!" Haley greeted Lucas enthusiastically as he had been the one to ring the doorbell, "Come on in! Hi you guys!"

Brooke took my job of introducing Kaycee and Shannon to Haley. Haley, being the nice person I had come to know, greeted them happily as she did the rest of us as we filed into the house.

"I'm so glad you guys are here?" She shut the door behind us as Nathan and I were the last people in the house, "Jake is serving drinks by the pool. I am finishing up the food. Everyone make yourselves at home."

"You need any help with the food?" I asked her as Nathan headed out to the pool with everyone else.

"Um, sure." Haley grinned at me, "I heard you can't cook though so um…"

"If you tell me what to do, I promise I won't screw it up."

"Oh well in that case, follow me."

I followed Haley to the kitchen which smelled amazing.

"This is a wonderful kitchen."

"It's probably my favorite feature of the house besides the view." Haley told me, "We got really lucky with the choices of houses in our budget. This one is by far the best."

"It's beautiful." I headed for the sink and washed my hands, "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"Well first, put on an apron so you don't ruin your dress." Haley handed me a simple red apron and I laughed but put it on anyway, "Then you can start slicing those oranges, if you don't mind."

I found a knife and a pile of oranges which I began to slice with just a bit of further direction. After a few minutes I found us laughing with each other, talking about all the things that had been going on in the past few months. She told me stories of the recording sessions for the album and outings she took Jenny on when she had free time. I told her about France and all the things that we had been doing in Tree Hill, like beach parties and nights at Tric.

It didn't take too long for the rest of the girls to migrate back to the kitchen, sitting at the kitchen island and sipping their drinks while Haley and I worked.

"Hey, we should call Peyton!" Brooke exclaimed, "I bet she's sad she's not here."

"That would be awesome." Haley nodded and Brooke pulled out her phone to dial.

"Who's Peyton?" Shannon asked before the call was made.

"Our friend, Xander's wife." I said.

"Soon to be baby mama." Kaycee added with a laugh as Shannon's mouth had fallen open, "Yes, the same Xander that we know, love, and fantasize about is married with a baby on the way."

"Hello?" Xander answered the call Brooke had made and as Brooke had it on speakerphone we all yelled hello to him at the same time, "Wait a second, let me see if I can figure out who's all calling. My sister obviously. Hi Savannah."

"Hi brother!" I called out to him.

"Brooke because it's her phone."

"Hi Xander." Brooke laughed.

"Camille and Bevin I'm guessing…"

"Hi Xander!" They yelled to him.

"Haley James?"

"Hi!" Haley laughed.

"And if I'm not mistaken… Kaycee Clark and Shannon Ibrahim?"

"How'd you know?" Kaycee exclaimed.

"I'm an expert at voices. Hi to all of you! How's everything going out there?"

"We graduated today!" Shannon yelled, "Officially no longer in high school."

"Congratulations." I could hear Xander's smile, "Where are you guys right now?"

"Haley's kitchen." Brooke said, "Haley's making us dinner and Savannah's helping, which has me a little worried to be honest, but I trust Haley so… hey!"

Brooke wiped the orange slice I had thrown at her off her face as she began to laugh.

"Savannah totally threw an orange slice at me." Brooke complained.

"Sounds like something she would do." Xander laughed, "Hey, I'm putting you guys on speaker so Peyton can hear too. Say hi."

"Hi Peyton!" We all yelled together.

"Hi!" Peyton sounded excited to hear our voices, "Oh my God, you guys have to come home! I'm going crazy! He won't let me out of bed."

"I don't think I would complain about him not letting me out of bed." Kaycee said quietly to Shannon as they giggled.

I rolled my eyes. Luckily, Peyton hadn't heard it.

"Why isn't she allowed out of bed? She's not even gonna pop for like another three weeks." Brooke asked Xander.

"Because her doctor said that pregnancies in women her age are more likely to deliver prematurely and so she needs to take it easy until her due date."

"So her doctor actually said bed rest? Or you just assumed that part?" Camille teased him.

"Shut up Cammie." Xander scolded, "She's taking it easy."

"Whatever, I miss you guys!" Peyton called out, "How's Los Angeles? Wait, Savannah, how was France?"

"France was amazing. We all need to go together at some point, when the baby is old enough and we aren't all in like ten different areas of the world. It was beautiful, enchanting, and just… amazing."

"I would love to go. Xander says it was amazing going to art school there."

"It was." Xander said, "Just like Savannah said. Enchanting and amazing."

"So where are all the guys? I'm not hearing any male voices here." Peyton laughed a little while later.

"They're by the pool." Haley replied, "Jake's serving drinks."

"Jake's serving drinks?" Peyton laughed, "That's so not an image of Jake I can imagine at all. Where's Jenny?"

"With him." Camille said, "So adorable, you should see it. He's pouring the margaritas and she puts the fruit in the cups. Best margarita I've ever had too."

"Yummy." Peyton sighed, "Eventually, I will be able to drink again."

"Yep, after giving birth and breast feeding for a year and by that time I'm sure you'll be knocked up again so just repeat the process." Brooke teased.

"You are evil." Peyton groaned, "Such a horrible best friend."

"Hey, I am a great best friend." Brooke countered, "If I wasn't, you wouldn't be giving your daughter my name for her middle name."

"We don't even know if it's a girl." Xander argued, "I'm pretty sure it's a boy."

"I trust Peyton's instincts more than yours." Brooke replied, "Plus Sienna Brooke is so much better than Grayson Elliott."

"Eww!" I exclaimed, "Grayson? Which one of you do I have to dub the worst parent in the world for naming their child that?"

"It's a good name." Xander argued.

"You just earned the title I guess." I sighed, "Xander, don't do that to your son if it's a boy. I agree with Brooke. I am all for Sienna Brooke although, technically, since I'm her biological aunt, I should have first rights for her being named after me."

"Shut up!" Brooke picked up the orange I had thrown at her and threw it back at me as I laughed, "Don't let her brainwash you Peyton. Savannah is an ugly name."

I gasped and Brooke stuck her tongue out at me.

"Bitch." I said simply.

"Slut." Brooke responded quickly.

"Who's a slut?" Nathan asked as he walked in.

"Hi Nathan!" Peyton and Xander yelled from the phone.

Nathan frowned and then started laughing.

"Hi Peyton. Hi Xander."

The conversation continued, Brooke and me's argument forgotten as Nathan came to stand at the counter with me.

"I like the apron. Keep that for later." He whispered to me as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

I giggled and turned to smile at him.

"Will you get me a margarita?" I asked nicely.

"I would if you didn't have that scary knife in your hand." He replied, "Girls with knives do not get alcohol."

"Not fair." I pouted and he smiled again, kissing the pout off my lips.

"I'll be back."

He left to go get my margarita and I found Kaycee and Shannon both staring at me.

"What?" I asked quietly so I didn't disturb the conversation the rest of the girls were still having with Peyton and Xander.

"It would be weird, for me, if I was Haley and despite them being separated or not, my husband was kissing another woman in my kitchen." Shannon looked to make sure Haley couldn't hear us, "I don't get it."

"It's a longer story than I can tell you right now." I glanced at Haley and then back at them, "It's totally cool though. I mean, maybe it is weird for her, but when they were in Tree Hill for our graduation, Haley and Jake kissed in front of Nathan all the time."

Shannon and Kaycee exchanged a look and shrugged.

"Your choice I guess."

"We miss you guys. Come home soon." Peyton said and I realized their conversation was about to end.

"We miss you too!" I called out to her.

Everyone else said their goodbyes and then Brooke hung up the phone, smiling happily.

"I think I want to get in the pool. Haley, you have bathing suits by chance?"

"Uh… no." Haley shook her head but sighed, "That's not gonna stop you though is it?"

"No it's not." Brooke stood and as if it were normal, pulled off her dress in the middle of the kitchen, leaving her clad in high heels and her lacy underwear only, "Anyone care to join me?"

Brooke headed outside and we heard her jump into the pool moments later as all the guys suddenly joined us in the kitchen.

"Um, you're aware she just jumped in the pool in her underwear right?" Jake asked as he entered the room with Jenny on his hip.

"Yeah." Haley nodded and shrugged, "Her underwear aren't see-through and they cover more than a bathing suit would anyway so… I'm tempted to join her."

"Me too." I nodded with Haley, setting down my knife and pulling my apron over my head, "Nathan? Did you bring that margarita?"

He handed it to me with raised eyebrows, almost challenging me to take off my dress next.

I downed the entire margarita in one drink and then set the glass on the counter, slipping off my heels and then pulling my dress over my head. I cocked an eyebrow at everyone who was staring at me and then walked past them.

"See you in the pool."

Brooke yelled jubilantly when I jumped into the pool with her. Camille, Shannon, and Kaycee joined us next soon followed by Bevin and Haley. All the guys returned to the poolside but they just stared down at us, some of them grinning with amusement, the rest just laughing.

"Care to join us?" Brooke floated to the edge and pulled herself out of the pool slightly so she could flaunt her cleavage in front of where Lucas was standing, "The pool is nice. So refreshing on this beautiful sunny California day."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at her but he looked like he was considering it.

"There are seven underwear clad girls in this pool and no guys. That is a good ratio for you Lucas Scott. Seven girls and you could be the only guy."

"I'm only interested in one of the girls though." Lucas crouched down near Brooke and smiled.

"The way I see it…" Brooke reached up to place her wet hand on Lucas's cheek and kiss him softly, "You still have good odds since that one girl is in the pool."

Before Lucas could make a decision one way or the other he found himself falling forward into the pool as Brooke yelled happily and Nathan and Skills were laughing loudly still on dry land.

Lucas came up from under the water sputtering but laughing, pulling Brooke to him and glaring playfully at his brother and Skills. He pointed to Nathan and nodded.

"You're next."

"No." Nathan shook his head but began removing his clothes, shoes first as he smiled at me, "You got tossed in clothes and all Luke. I'm getting in of my own free will."

When he was clad only in his boxers Nathan ran towards us and jumped into the pool, all of us screaming as the splash got us all.

"Skills, come on!" Bevin pouted, "Please?"

Before we knew it Jake was the only person on dry land and he just shook his head.

"I have a toddler to think of and you all are bad influences."

"Aww, come on Jake!" Haley called out, "Put her in her bathing suit and her adorable floatation device and then get in the pool before we make you."

"Yeah Jake!" Brooke seconded Haley's threat, "We will make you."

Jake turned to Jenny and he seemed to be having a conversation with her before he rolled his eyes and headed for the house.

"If you're not back in ten minutes we're coming after you!" Haley yelled.

We started a quick game of Marco Polo while we waited to see if Jake was going to return. The game was actually really fun considering this pool ran the entire length of the house. It was actually situated in between the two halves of the house with a glass walkway above us connecting the two halves from the second floor. It was really, really beautiful.

"Alright, I'm gonna go find him." Haley pulled herself out of the pool and headed for the house. Seconds later she returned with Jenny in her arms, decked out in her swim gear with a duck shaped inner tube around her waist that she could actually sit in as well. Haley was laughing happily as Jake followed, "I'm taking Jenny into the pool the nice way. You have to jump just like the rest of us."

Jake laughed but nodded.

"Okay, if that's how you want it."

When Jenny was safely out of distance from the splash, Jake took a running start and jumped into the pool.

"Yay!" Brooke rejoiced and celebrated by kissing Lucas, "We're all in the pool!"

We swam and all hung out for awhile. We continued to sip margaritas that Jake would get out and make for us. It was really nice to just chill as we played pool games and it was a very relaxing time for all of us.

Eventually we all got out of the pool. Haley traipsed into the house to find towels for all of us which we wrapped up in and then sat down at the table that was set up outside. It was a few minutes later and Haley brought out dinner, as if she had planned for this to take place the entire time.

"This looks amazing Haley." I served myself mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and Caesar salad, "I haven't had a simple, home cooked meal like this in a really long time."

"Not true. I make breakfast all the time." Camille countered, "And you make spaghetti."

"Fine, let me rephrase that. This looks amazing Haley. I haven't had food which doesn't consist of eggs or noodles in a really long time."

Haley laughed.

"I love macaroni & cheese. It is my all time favorite." She said.

"Food of the Gods." Nathan smiled at her and took a bite, "It's good."

"Thank you." Haley grinned, adjusting her towel, "Thank you all for coming. It's nice to host the party for once."

The dinner party lasted well into the night, long after our underwear had dried and we had all gotten redressed. We lit a fire in the outdoor fire pit and made s'mores while we drank more of what I had been informed were orange kiss margaritas. The margaritas were what I had cut so many oranges for.

"I'm gonna miss this." Brooke sighed as we were all huddled around the fire.

"Miss what? My fire pit?" Haley teased as she huddled closer to Jake in the blanket they were sharing.

"No, the hanging out." Brooke shrugged, "It's just nice. No drama. No worries. At least for one night, we're all just friends sitting by a fire and talking. I'm gonna miss it. Soon we'll all be split up."

"It's already started." Camille sighed, and I knew she was thinking of Tim, "We're already missing some of our friends."

"Tim…" Bevin reached out and hug Camille, "I'm sure his hearts still with us Cammie. With you anyway."

Camille smiled and hugged Bevin.

"Thanks Bevin."

"We're missing Peyton and Xander too." Lucas pointed out.

"That's true." Brooke nodded, "So see… aren't you gonna miss it? We have to start being adults now and how boring is that?"

We all laughed, Nathan pulling the blanket around us tighter.

"If you think about it," Haley started, "none of us have really been kids for awhile now. I mean, I don't know about Kaycee and Shannon, but I know that I haven't been a kid for awhile. I got married…"

She looked directly at Nathan and smiled slightly.

"I wouldn't change that but it forced us to grow up quick. We've pretty much all had parents who left us in some way to take care of ourselves instead of just being kids. Jake had Jenny. Brooke's parents left. Dan was never there for you Luke and he was horrible to Nathan. Savannah's mom sucks and her dad's cool but not around."

"My parents didn't even show up for my graduation." Kaycee said with a sigh, "They're in Bermuda so they called to tell me congratulations."

"See!" Haley pointed at Kaycee, "That's exactly what I mean. We're already adults Brooke."

Brooke sighed and again moved closer to Lucas.

"I'll still miss it." She said simply, "I don't want this to end."

"We'll always be friends Brooke." I assured her, "No matter where we all move to and where our lives take us, friendship is something that we can all keep. It only takes a phone call, or a text message, or an email to keep in touch. Friends are forever."

Brooke smiled at me and nodded.

"So you all promise to me that we won't lose contact?" She asked.

"Promise." Bevin said first.

"Promise." Skills continued.

"I promise." Camille grinned.

"I'll start keeping contact." Kaycee laughed.

"Me too." Shannon giggled with her.

"You won't be able to get rid of me." Haley winked, "Never again."

"Or me." Jake grinned, "How can I resist being friends with Brooke Davis?"

"Not just with me though." Brooke said, "We have to all keep in touch with each other. Remember Savannah? We're a family. We're all we have."

I smiled as I remembered the morning after my 18th birthday. The morning after Nathan and I had first slept together.

"I remember." I said to Brooke, "Family. I won't lose contact."

"Me either." Nathan added.

Lucas was the last person to answer. Brooke stared at him waiting for his answer.

"Of course pretty girl." Lucas kissed her forehead, "I'm always gonna be there for you and for this family."

The depth of our promise settled over all of us as we all fell back into relaxation. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling a mixture of Nathan and firewood with the nighttime air. It was calming. It reminded me that I was safe in the arms of my best friend. Surrounded by my best friends, except for the few who couldn't be there, but I knew they were there in spirit. They wanted to be with us.

"Let's make a toast." Bevin suddenly exclaimed, "To friendship."

"As high school ends, a new era begins." Lucas added as he raised his glass to Bevin's, "To friendship."

"To friendship." We all repeated as we raised our glasses together.

And as we sipped, the pact was sealed. One chapter of our lives was ending, but there was still so much more to tell.


	44. preview to the sequel

_**Author's Note: Alright, so this is a preview of the first chapter of Home Is Where My Heart Is, the sequel to The New Girl. I could use some feedback to see if you all think this is a good start. If I get at least one review on this, I will post the full first chapter of the new story in a few hours. :) Enjoy!**_

**Home Is Where My Heart Is**

**Chapter One**

**It's Been Five Years**

**Savannah POV**

I always liked fast cars. I had been driving the same Aston Martin Vanquish for five years, despite having plenty of money to have bought a new one by now. So it came as a surprise to me, when I found myself preparing to move a long distance for the third time in my life, that I didn't choose to drive my Aston Martin.

The condo was sold. The boxes were packed and loaded into the moving truck. I handed the keys to the Aston Martin to my loyal assistant and patted her on her shoulder.

"You're fired." I told her simply, "Enjoy the car."

I slipped into my brand new Lexus LS hybrid and sighed, looking into the rearview mirror at the building which held the condo where so much of the last five years had gone wrong. My marriage, my career, my child… everything died in that house. I couldn't live there anymore. I had to erase it from my memory.

As I hit the open road I was relieved to look behind me and for the first time in years feel like the demons of my past couldn't catch up to me. I had been trying to run away from them in my fast car for a long time and yet here I was, in my hybrid car, going the speed limit, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Of course, I wasn't going to be able to erase all the memories at once. The events that had shaped my current life began to come back to me in a rush…

_"Savannah?"_

_I heard my name being called from somewhere near my front door and I recognized the voice, a smile immediately spreading across my face as I stood and raced from my bedroom to the entryway._

_"Nathan!" I jumped onto my best friend, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, placing my lips firmly on top of his for a passionate kiss, "I missed you."_

_"I missed you too beautiful." Nathan smiled at me but the smile didn't spread to his eyes as he held me in his embrace._

_"What's wrong?" I asked him, slipping down from around him and standing instead in front of him._

_"Um… maybe we should sit down?" Nathan motioned to the living room and I frowned but followed him, sitting down on the couch cross-legged facing him._

_"Nate, what's going on? You show up out of the blue to my condo in New York City and not that I'm complaining but you don't seem very happy to be here."_

_"I have to tell you something." Nathan took a deep breath as he wrung his hands together like he always did when he was nervous, "And you're not going to be happy with me."_

To Be Continued...


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